Hyderabad: Black Kite Stuck at 80ft High in Chinese Manja Rescued

 Hyderabad: An black kite, trapped in tangled Chinese manja, 80 feet above the ground near Kendriya Vidyalaya, Secunderabad, was rescued in a challenging operation. School authorities spotted the bird tangled in the sharp thread on a tall tree and alerted the forest department.

The operation involved the anti-poaching squad, the fire department and the Animal Warriors Conservation Society (AWCS). According to Santoshi Pradeep, co-founder and member of AWCS, the call for assistance was received from the forest department.

Although the fire department was already on-site, they lacked the necessary equipment for the rescue. AWCS, equipped with an 80-foot telescopic pole, was able to reach the black kite and safely bring it down.

A. Shankaran, retired deputy conservator of forests, said, “The bird was completely tangled in Chinese manja and the height made the rescue extremely difficult.

The black kite’s entanglement in the manja, was first spotted by a teacher from the school, who later reported the incident. The rescue operation began after the bird had already been stuck for a few hours

The injured bird was shifted to Nehru Zoological Park for treatment. “The injuries were minor and it would be released back into the wild in two or three days after recovery,” added Shankaran.

The AWCS team played a crucial role in the operation. Pradeep . P founder of AWCS explained, “We used a customised telescopic pole that extends up to 80 feet. We attached an incense stick at the tip to carefully cut the manja without harming the bird.”

He added that the dry tree made the rescue tricky. “The branches were brittle and reaching the bird safely was quite challenging,” he said.

AWCS revealed that in January alone, they had rescued 150 birds tangled in Chinese manja, showing how dangerous the thread is to wildlife. Shankaran noted that last year, around 400 birds were rescued in various incidents by the forest department.

"The bird has been under stress and unable to fly. We are monitoring it closely," said veterinarian Dr M.A. Hakeem from Nehru zoo park. The team plans to keep the black kite in a safe, stress-free environment for a day or two before determining whether further medical treatment, such as an X-ray, is needed, he added.