Take care of your feathered friends this Sankranti
Flying kites during Sankranti is a long-standing tradition in our country. Although temperatures rise around that time, kite flyers make it mandatory to fly kites for at least a couple of hours a day.
With DJ decks blasting the latest hits and homemade snacks being served all day, the whole festival becomes a gala event for friends and family. While keeping the tradition alive is vital, one must also take precautions to avoid incidents with birds.
Most birds are early risers and venture out to find food before 9 in the morning and birds’ movement at that time is higher than it is in the afternoon. Likewise, most birds fly back to their nests around 5 pm in the evening. Keeping those patterns in mind, it is best to avoid flying kites before 9 am and after 5 pm.
It is also the season when several birds migrate from one place to another, where some also migrate across the country lines. As migratory birds usually fly high, check if your area falls in any bird migratory routes. If yes, it is best to not fly your kites high.
Additionally, although cutting off kites of other flyers and celebrating that win is an integral part of the festival, it is imperative to understand that it can be done without using sharp Chinese manja or glass-coated manja.
The sharper-than-knife manja that is prevalent in the markets is not only unsafe for birds when they fly around it, but also causes cuts and wounds to the flyers. Instead, work with regular manja and on your flying skills to take down other kites.
Even after taking precautions, it is possible that you may find injured birds around you. Try and perform basic first-aid on the birds and give them food and shelter for a couple of days till they recover.
Keep animal welfare organisations’ numbers handy. In Hyderabad, organisations like PFA, Citizens for Animals, and Animal Warriors are active in rescue calls.
