From rxpgnews.com
Kite flying a death trap for birds
By Jadav Kakoti, IANS,
Feb 4, 2007 - 7:40:14 AM
New Delhi, Feb 4 - Kite flying may be a favourite pastime for many but the same may turn out to be a real death trap for both human beings and animals.
In India, hundreds of birds die every year, including some rare species, during the January kite-flying season in Gujarat. The International Kite Festival was held in Ahmedabad Jan 11 when kite flyers from 21 countries participated.
'This year 639 severely wounded birds were rescued from Gujarat, against 571 saved last year,' said Soham Mukherjee of the Animal Help Foundation -. Mukherjee is also a member of IFAW Emergency Relief Network, run by its Indian partner, Wildlife Trust of India -.
'The use of razor-sharp Chinese nylon thread and string coated with powdered glass led to the wings of birds being cut off,' Mukherjee told IANS.
Vultures, pigeons, doves, eagles, crows, cranes and parakeets were among those injured during kite flying.
Among them white-rumped vulture -, Indian vulture - and slender-billed vulture - have been identified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources -.
A total of 189 vultures died during 2002-2006 in Gujarat. This year the AHF rescued 10 vultures. According to a vulture census by Kartik Shastri of Bird Conservation Society, only 137 vultures were reported alive in Gujarat in 2006.
The AHF has received more than 6,000 birds since it began operations in 2001. After sensing the gravity of the situation, it launched its annual campaign, 'Help the Birds', in 2003.
Interestingly, the Pakistan Supreme Court this year had disallowed kite flying, an integral part of the spring festival of Basant. A large number of deaths caused by people falling off rooftops while flying kites are reported each year in Pakistan.
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