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Ahmedabad: Pre-Uttarayan frenzy in January injures 400 birds already

Forest dept and NGOs ring in the New Year with increased bird rescue calls.

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Several birds have fallen prey to the killer manja already with Uttarayan still a few days away. According to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working to provide medical care to injured birds and animals, calls to rescue birds started flowing in from the beginning of January. While the forest department has received 71 calls to rescue injured birds, Jivdaya Charitable Trust, another NGO that works for bird rescue, has received over 300 calls.

“Over 300 birds have been brought to Jivdaya since the beginning of January by our partner organisations that work to rescue birds. All the birds were injured due to kite strings,” said Sherwin Everett, a volunteer working with Jivdaya.

He added that of the total birds brought to the centre, around 80% were pigeons. “So far, we received only one vulture which succumbed to its injuries. The other bird that most commonly gets injured is the kite,” said Everett.

Meanwhile, the forest department received calls that helped rescue 41 kites, 25 peafowl and 5 vultures. A forest official said that the data was for December and January while most of the calls came in the latter month.

Harshad Shah of Namoh Namah, another NGO that works for bird rescue said that they have been getting 10 to 15 calls every day since January beginning. “To tackle the rush during Uttarayan, we plan to set up our own call centre near Dharnidar Derasar during the 3-4 days of the kite festival,” said Shah.

Nitin Bhatt, a volunteer who often rescues injured birds and animals, normally gets two to three cases of bird rescue a week. “But come January, it turns out to be 7 to 8 birds every week,” said Bhatt who has given up flying kites for the last 20 years, so as not to injure birds.

What you must do & shouldn’t…
To protect birds
Avoid flying kites in the morning from 8 to 10 as this is the time when birds fly out of their nests in search of food. During the evening avoid flying kites from 4 to 6

Fly kites in large open spaces far from trees and electric poles

If possible, avoid flying kites from the terrace, especially if there is a tree or an electric pole nearby

Don’t use glass coated manjas

Collect all the excess manja and discard it in a bin

To rescue injured birds
Use a towel or a large cloth to pick up the injured bird

Keep a cardboard box with a few air holes in it handy to transport the bird 

Don’t pour water on the bird or even offer any water to drink

Clean the wound with Betadine 

To stop excessive bleeding, hold a damp piece of gauze onto the wound and apply a bit of pressure. Hold it for at least 2 to 3 minutes

If you are unsure about handling the bird, call the helpline.

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