A black kite that was entangled in a nylon kite string and was dangling from an overhead cable near the intersection of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and Park Street, a stone’s throw from Allen Park, was rescued by residents and police.
The passers-by who spotted the bird dangling around 12ft above the street alerted traffic policemen at the intersection and sought help to bring it down.
The traffic cops sent a message to Shakespeare Sarani police station. A sergeant and a couple of constables and civic police volunteers reached the spot.
“The bird was struggling to free itself. The more it struggled the more entangled it got, in the string and the overhead cables. We got hold of a ladder and brought the bird down after cutting the nylon string with a knife. The bird was so exhausted from its struggles that it did not try to bite or claw us,” said sergeant Diptimoy Ghosh.
Ghosh, a birder himself, put the injured kite in a cardboard carton and took it to Shakespeare Sarani police station.
The cops requested the forest department to take the bird to the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Salt Lake and arrange for its treatment.
“The string had wound so tight around the kite’s feet that one of them almost got severed,” Ghosh said.
A veterinarian from the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Salt Lake’s Baisakhi checked the bird at the police station.
“The bird’s leg was badly damaged, almost severed. It also injured its wings. We placed a dressing and gave the bird electrolytes and water as it was dehydrated. We are monitoring its health,” a senior forester at the centre said.
Range officer Manoj Josh, who is in charge of the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility, said the kite’s injuries are consistent with those caused by kite strings.
“We have rescued several birds over the past few days from across the city with similar injuries, caused by kite strings. Most were injured in their wings or legs as they struggled to free themselves after getting entangled. We try our best but many cannot fly after getting slashed or entangled in these strings,” said Josh.
Last month, a black kite that had almost severed its wing landed on the roof of a house in Behala.
“I heard a thumping sound on the roof at night. I went up to the roof to check and found a kite that had an almost severed wing shuffling about. I alerted the forest department and a team took it away. The members of the rescue team said the injuries were possibly caused by kite strings,” said Kalapi Mitra.
Across the city, several two-wheeler riders have been critically injured by kite strings, especially on flyovers. Some of them died.
Manja (a mixture of glass and glue) adds to the string’s sharpness. Such strings do not snap and leave birds entangled in them severely injured.
The nylon ones are known as Chinese manja, which is extremely sharp. The kite that was rescued was entangled in a length of Chinese manja, Josh said.
“We often hear of such injuries to birds, especially black kites. Birds cannot see the string while flying and get entangled in them,” Shubhankar Patra, a veteran birdwatcher, said.
Black kites, common in the city, are large, slow-flying birds. Being scavengers, they keep hovering in search of food.