Mumbai activists on alert as Gujarat man dies amid bird rescue operation

MUMBAI: City animal activists have issued a note of caution among fellow animal lovers that they should not themselves try to climb up electric poles or tall trees to rescue birds trapped on high-tension cables due to loose manja threads used to fly kites. The advisory follows the electrocution of a man in Gujarat’s Aravalli district when he tried to rescue a bird caught up on a live wire.
Honorary district animal welfare officer of Animal Welfare Board of India, Mitesh Jain, told TOI: “A man from Malpur town in Gujarat, Dilip Waghela, had climbed up an electric pole to free a bird on June 10.He was electrocuted. We urge animal lovers to notify the fire brigade if they see any bird in such a situation.''
Jain, who also runs an NGO, Karuna Trust, in Virar, added: “Fire brigade personnel use safety ladders and ensure that electric current is switched off before rescuing any bird from high-tension cables. In Vasai and Virar we have often used services of firemen to rescue birds from tall tree branches and electric poles. Also, it shows how dangerous the menace of manja threads can be.”
An Andheri-based animal lover, Amrita Ghaswala, also informed that they had recently called the fire brigade to rescue a crow stuck from a tree branch at their building in Marol, Andheri (east).
Jain added: “Soon after Makar Sankranti kite-flying festival, many birds were rescued. Months after this event, birds continue to unwittingly get trapped in stray manja threads. Hence our one day of fun (of kite flying) can prove to be a death knell for various bird species and at times humans, as was seen at Malpur last week.”