Gujarat: More manja-hits for birds this year

AHMEDABAD: Flamingos, treepies, eagles, yellow-footed green pigeons, ibises, egrets, comb ducks, and the common crows and pigeons were among the birds that were rescued after being injured by kite lines.
The state forest department rescued over 2,700 birds on Friday and Saturday while NGOs tended to more than 2,000 birds.
The majority of the birds injured were pigeons and crows.This year the number of injured crows was higher compared to the 2021 figure.
The forest department officials said that overall more birds were injured this Uttarayan than in the previous one. The officials said that the forest department rescued 2,703 birds of which 2,494 were saved. The state government has been launching Karuna Abhiyan every year to save birds from the killer manja.
The campaign aims to save birds that sustain injuries during Uttarayan across Gujarat. The campaign runs from January 10 to 20. The initiative covers 44 medical centres run by NGOs. Moreover, 10 control rooms, 129 collection sections, and 13 mobile vans were pressed into service in Ahmedabad district. Over 2,079 volunteers, including 161 veterinary doctors, participate in the project.
The state forest department officials said that on the Uttarayan day, 1,021 birds were injured and the number was nearly 1,700 on Saturday. Hence more injuries were recorded on Saturday than on the Uttarayan festival day.
Kartik Shastri of Jivdaya said that his trust alone rescued 1,145 birds till afternoon on Saturday. Shastri said that this year the injuries were high despite Covid restrictions.