Over 4,000 birds treated of sharp-edge manja injuries across city over last five years: Data

More than 4,000 birds have been rescued and rehabilitated after they suffered synthetic plastic manja (string) injuries in the past five years, said officials.

- Shrinivas Deshpande

PUNE:

The fire brigade department of Pune city receives hundreds of manja-related animal-bird rescue calls during the Makar Sankranti festival marked by people flying kites. The festival will be celebrated on January 14 this year.

As per the fire brigade department data, in 2020, authorities rescued 940 animals and birds, and the figure was 617 in 2024.

The nylon manja, unlike traditional cotton thread, is coated with glass and chemicals that makes it highly abrasive and dangerous to animals, birds, and humans. It has been found to cause severe injuries to birds, often resulting in deep cuts to their wings and necks, and in some cases, death due to the severity of the wounds or the birds' inability to fly or find food.

Nilesh Mahajan, spokesperson, fire brigade department, said, "Fire brigade is not only involved in firefighting operations, but we also rescue birds and animals in emergency situations."

From 2020 to 2024, we have rescued 4,092 birds and animals. The injured birds and animals are shifted to medical centers by wildlife rescue ambulance.

Nature enthusiasts and volunteers have raised concern over repetitive use of banned nylon manja for kite flying, especially during festivals like Makar Sankranti and Independence Day.