Chinese Manja toll: 30 birds killed, 90 rescued, 2 euthanised in Telangana

The banned Chinese nylon manja is taking its toll on avian species with 30 birds that were trapped in manja dying in January alone

Sangareddy: The banned Chinese nylon manja is taking its toll on avian species with 30 birds that were trapped in manja dying in January alone. Ninety other birds were seriously injured in and around Hyderabad.

These statistics are based just on calls that the Animal Warriors Conservation Society (AWCS) got from the people. Among a number of other organisations that were also working on bird rescue in Telangana, the Ameenpur-based AWCS is working with the support of the HCL Foundation.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Pradeep Nair, founder of AWCS, said they were receiving at least 10 calls for rescuing birds trapped in nylon manja across Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana. They rescued 90 birds in January alone. Most of the incidents were during the Sankranti festival when people of Hyderabad fly kites. Despite awareness programmes against the use of nylon manja, he said many were still using the manja. Since a couple of pigeons were badly injured, doctors had to euthanize them because their survival was riled out.

The rescued birds include a spot-billed pelican, black kite, purple moorhen and other many rare bird species. Nair said a 10-member team was working round the clock. The rescued birds, which required treatment, were brought to the AWCS rehabilitation centre where the AWCS had hired a doctor to attend to them with the support of the HCL Foundation. The birds would be released into their habitat once they recovered, he added.