By Sanjay Nirala, IANS
New Delhi : Around 150 birds that were injured during kite flying here during Independence Day have been brought for treatment to a speciality bird hospital. But there may be many more winged victims that have received no help.
“Right from Aug 15 we have received approximately 150 birds with injuries in their wings, necks and legs,” said Vijay Kumar, a doctor at the Charity Bird Hospital located just opposite Red Fort in Delhi’s old quarter.
“Many of them are in a stable condition now, while those with serious injuries will take around a month’s time to recuperate fully.”
Most of the injured are pigeons and kites. All of them are being treated free of cost.
Bird lovers, however, fear that the kite-flying frenzy that gripped the capital around Independence Day must have claimed many more winged victims.
It has been a tradition in the capital to fly kites on that day. The craze is such that the old and young alike take part in it.
A ‘manja’ (a special thread coated with glass powder) is used to fly a kite. These threads are so sharp that they can even cut the human finger. During Independence Day, the sky in some parts of the city gets choked with colourful kites of different shapes and sizes. But birds often get caught in this web, with the manja leaving bad bruises on them.
“We started getting injured birds a few days before Independence Day, but the numbers were very few. A major chunk of them were brought here from Aug 15 onwards.
“Every day since Aug 15 we have been getting around 30-40 birds each day. But now, six days after Independence Day, we are getting fewer birds for treatment,” said the doctor.