Kite Flying: Impact on birds

I was taking my morning walk in the park when I saw a group of people excitedly crowding
around. When I came closer I could see that there was a kite string on two trees and a crow is
hanging upside down on the string. The crow’s wings had got entangled on the string. Two of
them were trying to pick up a stick and hit at the string to break it. Finally the string was broken
and the entangled crow and string fell on the ground. The people were not sure how to rescue the
crow.

I moved in to help. one person gently held the crow and I slowly removed the knotted string. The
string had got entangled in its wings and pulling it would have further damaged the wings. It
took me several minutes to carefully remove the string.

All this while the crow was quiet. It didn’t even get scared and peck at us. Intelligent bird that it
is, the crow simply waited for us to remove the string. However, not all was well with the crow.
When we threw the crow up hoping that it will fly, it flapped its wings and landed on the ground
and hopped on and hid below the hedge. Clearly the crow had some internal damage to either the
nerves or wings and it was not capable of flying.

The people were happy that the crow got extricated and they left. I stood there for a while to
watch it. I knew that it won’t be easy for the crow as there are feral dogs around. However, the
crow was well hidden in the hedge.

Next day while I was on my walk, I found black feathers of the crow nearby. The crow had met
its end. One of the dogs had got an easy meal.

Since I was on my morning walk, I could not click an image. However, the sight of an intelligent
bird like the crow hanging on the kite string was disturbing. It reminded me of my childhood
days when I used to fly kites and painstakingly do maanja by grinding tube light glass, use gum
and then use it to cut other kites. It was an elaborate procedure with five kids involved in the
entire process. Little did I realise the impact on birds.

These white kite strings are very fine and it is difficult for the birds to see and avoid it. Even if
they don’t get hit when the kite is flying, it has a long lasting impact as seen in the entangled
crow. The strings of kites get entangled in trees and it impacts many birds.
Kites entangled in Electric wires

The common house crow is an intelligent bird and can make many fine acrobatic moves. If such
a bird gets entangled in the thread, then one can imagine the impact on other birds, especially
endangered birds like vultures etc.

There has been no systematic study to quantify the impact of bird kills due to kite flying.
However, every year we get some sporadic reporting of impacts on birds, especially during the
kite flying festivals in Gujarat during Uttarayan in the month of January. It is estimated that
every year about 2500 birds get impacted In Gujarat alone. There are reports of bird deaths from
many other states as well.

One easy way to reduce the problem is not to fly kites in early mornings and late evenings so that
direct bird hits don’t happen during kite flying. However, birds will continue to get killed and
maimed by strings entangled in trees.
Making manja for flying kites

Asking people not to use maanja (broken glass and gum) in their threads will also help.
However, even a normal thread rubbing on your body is sufficient to cut your skin.Like catapult,
which is a seemingly harmless toy but is used by many to kill lot of birds, the impact of kite
flying on birds is not yet properly acknowledged. Limiting the kite flying only to designated
open spaces will help so that the chances of kites and strings getting entangled in trees decrease.

Kites flying
When our population was small these festivals had negligible impact. However, with millions of
people flying kites, the impact on our avian population is huge. I hope all of you can share this
with others so that we can spread the awareness among people and save our winged friends.

If you have any suggestions and comments on Kite flying: Impact on birds, then please use the
comments section below.

Reduce Your Environmental Impact When

Flying
Take Inspiration from Amelia Earhart and Gene Simmons
August 25, 2008 at 12:10PM by Michael de Jong | Comment

"Fly me to the moon and let me play (swing) among the stars
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars..." ~Bart Howard

Frank Sinatra brought the lyrics of "Fly me to the Moon" to life. It's one of those famous
melodies in which mere mention instantly brings this air-bound tune to life.

You know how it goes...if you dream about it you'll recall the way the "Chairman of the Board"
slurred words into personalized, memorable configurations masterfully paired with the sounds of
saxophones, flutes, and drums in support of his elongated and punctuated crooning.

Much like Ol' Blue Eyes, you might not only sing about flying you might dream about flying as
well...I do. While I'm dreaming, I imagine that I'm soaring through the night air lost somewhere
between the moon and the stars, flying over my personal "Neverland" like Wendy, John and
Michael from "Peter Pan."

When using Peter Pan's combination of "happy thoughts" and "fairy dust," apparently anyone
can fly to Jupiter and Mars...even the unlikely duo of Amelia Earhart and Gene Simmons. Good
thing, too. It seems that almost everyone, at some time or another, had wished they could fly.

Just look around — our popular cultural landscape is littered with references to flying. There are
those who swear to have seen flying saucers, super-spiritual flying nuns, the super-brave who
wind-sail, hang glide, bungee jump and skydive, super-limber fingers that fly across a piano's
keyboard, the super-paranoid who fear flying altogether (and for those who have no apparent
fear of anything — flying or otherwise — we have "the mile high club"), and the Super Heroes
of Marvel and DC Comics that can also fly.

The paintings of Marc Chagall are also filled with images of folks flying, feeling lighter than air,
soaring...literally...imagining human flight vividly like an uncertain swimmer doing the
backstroke in mid-air or as a kite-tail waltzing in the wind — much like the vanished pilot
Amelia Earhart and famed washed-up head-banger and lead rock-and-roller of the infamous band
KISS, Gene Simmons.

Amelia and Gene share more than a coincidental date, August 25th. (They ironically also share
music too...songwriter Jim Vallance wrote "Rock 'n Roll Hell" for Gene Simmons and "Amelia
Earhart" for BTO — that's Bachman Turner Overdrive). What they also share is a passion for
flying.

As "Queen of the Air" Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (not once
but twice!), was the number one female to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross and the first
lady to fly nonstop from numerous destinations, breaking records all along the way. Feminist
icon Amelia Earhart was a widely known international celebrity during her lifetime. Her bashful
yet magnetic charm, courage, self-determined doggedness, composure and guts along with her
disappearance have offered her lasting fame.

Bass guitarist and birthday-boy Gene Simmons led his rock band KISS to mega-stardom in the
'70s and '80s with pyrotechnics, demonstrations of his overgenerously proportioned tongue, his
audacious self-delusions, profusions of fake blood, wacky costumes, all that goofy makeup and
of course — his never-ending inability to disappear. But it's his soaring aerial choreography and
stage flying that firmly connects him to Amelia Earhart. With his license to be outrageous the
charismatically repellent, persistently agitated and turbulently excitable (I'm imagining him
"literally" breaking all of his own records) Simmons is — in my opinion — the Yin to Earhart's
Yang. They're total opposites with a passion for flight.

We all live in the modern world and from time to time it's necessary to fly. It's an exciting and
convenient way to travel, though not the eco-friendliest. Either "flying to the moon" or to some
other destination, we can all reduce the amount of waste produced in-air by passing on anything
served in disposable packaging. Instead, pack your own reusable container filled with a beverage
of your choice (which you'll probably have to buy after you pass through security), some healthy
snacks from home stashed away in even more reusable containers and then deposit and recycle
your own trash once you've landed.

And to clean your reusable plastic storage containers, depending on the type of stain, scrub them
using combinations of lemon juice, baking soda and white vinegar.

It's the little things, like avoiding overpackaged stuff, reusing and safely cleaning containers,
considering travel alternatives, that will make a difference in the long run. It might not
completely fix the problem, but if the 1,000,000 or so folks who visit this site monthly act on this
eco-advice, there'd be less pollution and nonbiodegradable garbage to deal with.

Life is what we each do, bravely, every single day. Gene Simmons once said, "All I ever thought
about was sex." (What? You were expecting some nugget of wisdom?) But it was Amelia
Earhart who said, "You can act to change...the process is its own reward."
Makar Sakrant is celebrated on the day the sun enters the zodiac sign (rashi) of Capricorn
(Makar). There are idiosyncrasies typical to the celebration of this festival. People use the
sesame seeds for various utility modes in life : for bathing, eating, drinking water etc. Festivals,
in India, carry so much of a logical significance. According to Ayurveda, in winter, the
consumption of sesame seeds is overall beneficial for human beings. The oil in these seeds
generate body heat, preventing the ill effects of cold.

Come Makar Sakrant and kite flying becomes an instant fad in many regions of India. Look up
into the sly and one gets to see a myriad kites dancing with joy. The new age kits are not just of
the square shape with a triangular tail but have evolved into varieties like golden kite, dragon
kites, fiber kites, eagle kite, train kites etc.

Kites are objects of inspiration. They can teach us a whole lot of life management skills. I share a
few such lessons which I learn from these kites :

Fly high against the wind: The way kites fly against the wind is amazing, they don’t fly with
the wind. Though the turbulence in the air forces the kite to lose track and move here and there,
the kite still manages to maneuver itself using aerodynamic skills.

When circumstances are against, the general trend is to lose hope and surrender. This is when
one should take inspiration from these kites. Sky is never the limit for those who have the will
and determination to be successful. More the challenges, sturdy would be the success.

Be Connected : A kite beautifully demonstrates the value of basics. One may rise too high in
career but the moment connection with the basics of character, attitude and discipline is lost,
all the success is likely to dwindle away. The kite string is one of the most essential elements in
its flying phenomenon. Tauter is this thread, better are the chances of survival in today’s
business wise competitive & socially adulterated environment

Kite Reel and Winder: The reel symbolizes family and winder the values. Go out in the
professional world, achieve your targets and when it is dusk, come back home. Your home sweet
home stacks all your faiths, beliefs and moments of spiritual peace. The home unwind does
provide an individual the reel of energy required to be happy.

The tail: A kite flies high while the tail swirls behind. The kite tail gives us the message to
always leave tracks of lessons learnt. Success follows success and there is every chance that
some people might be following our path. Sharing of information with all such followers
propagates prosperity in the society. As Mr. Narayana Murthy quotes in one speech, “My sincere
hope is that this sharing ( of lessons learned in life) will help you (the future generation) see your
own trials and tribulations for the hidden blessings they can be!”

Life is an act of balance: What do you do when the kite does not take off? First try to adjust the
balances? Isn’t it? A kite is as good as the balance & symmetry it maintains. No matter how
beautiful the kite is, if you fail to balance the fitting spars or the string, it won’t fly well enough.
We live in a mutually interdependent lifestyle and life is all about balance. If we ignore the needs
and demands of people around us and our society, it is sure we would bang harsh on ground.
When things do not turn out the way you wish it to, try setting the balances right.

Teamwork: One cannot fly a kite in isolation, It takes two to fly a kite. Teamwork is essential.

Life is as we choose it: Our experiences in life are directly proportional to the choices we make.
Children either make a kite or buy it. When they buy a kite they decide on the type, colour and
design of the kite. Next, they choose where and when to fly the kite. Life is a series of decisions.

The view of multiple kites decorating the sky sets a wonderful exhilaration. However all that
looks beautiful is not always very easy and simple. Sometimes the kite gets prey in the sky in
spite of the flier’s best efforts. What to do in such situations? Get the lessons and take a decision
to fly another kite! Isn’t it? Likewise some days are just not ours and things do not work out our
way. What do we do next? If we surrender, the story ends; however when we are patient and
carry on with our efforts the sight of success reappears.

Connect on Twitter : Ajit Varwandkar or email : ajitvarwandkar@gmail.com

PS. An appeal : Many birds get killed by the string of the kite. I request the kite flier’s not to
apply sharp edge materials to the kite string. This might harm a bird. Also fly a kite in such open
areas where the birds are less likely to fly low. Let birds live.

Makar Sankranti: The Indian Festival of

Kite-Flying and Holy Baths
3 years ago People
Photo: Jonathunder

Every year there are hundreds of festivals celebrated in India which are an integral part of
people’s lives. Among the most auspicious of occasions for Hindus is Makar Sankranti,
celebrated every year on the 14th of January. (Archeological surveys also reveal that the Mayans
also celebrated a similar kind of festival – which would make it a 6000-year-old style of
celebration!)

Because the Indian traditional calendar is based on lunar position, none of the other major Indian
festivals have a fixed date every year. But being a solar event, Sankranti comes every year on
January 14. Makar Sankranti is basically a celebration of a cosmic event and human life.
Photo: Przemyslaw "Blueshade" Idzkiewicz

Like the ancient Greeks, Indians too give importance to the sun as a god of intelligence and
wisdom. Derived from ancient Indian language, the word ‘Sankranti’ means the transmigration
of the Sun from one Rashi (Zodiac) to another, namely from Dhanu Rashi (Sagittarius) to Makar
Rashi (Capricorn). This special day in mid-January marks the moment when the God Sun
(Surya) begins its ascendancy and enters into the northern hemisphere. Regarded as the
beginning of the harvesting season, this festival has various names all over the country, such as
Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bhogali Bihu in Assam, Maghi in Haryana, Shishur Saenkraat in the
Kashmir Valley and Pithey in Bengal.
Photo: Steffen Gauger

One major aspect of this festival is a must-take bath in the holy Triveni Sangam in the city of
Prayag in Allahabad. Famous as the king of all holy places, this Sangam is the point of
confluence of three rivers: the Ganges, the Yamuna and the invisible Saraswati. All the gods are
said to visit this place on this day to take a dip. Thus, people believe that taking a bath or dip in
this sacred Sangam will not only wash away all their sins but also clear the way to heaven.

Though there is not any religious belief behind the idea of flying kites, I personally think the
custom is tied up with the fact that during winter we all suffer with rough skin and many other
common diseases like bronchitis and sinusitis, which are mainly due to the cold climate. So
when on January 14 the sun enters into northern hemisphere, it terminates the cold winter season
bringing along warmer spring days. Coming in contact with direct sun automatically cures some
of these diseases, as sunlight has great healing power and tremendous health benefits.

Whatever the reason is behind this colorful event, Makar Sankranti is celebrated in almost every
part of India in various cultural forms. There's no doubt this festival is celebrated with great
devotion, gaiety and joy all over.

Read more at http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/cultures/news-why-fly-kites-makar-

sankranti-and-take-dip-sangam#SVsXI7Pygfrlg7Z4.99
Makar Sankranti on 14th January heralds India’s kite festival, particularly in Gujarat, Bihar, and
Jharkhand and some parts of West Bengal and Rajasthan. The skies of cities like Ahmedabad,
Vadodara, Surat, Jaipur, Dhanbad, and Hyderabad are full of kites/patangs through-out the day.
People begin flying kites in winter and they are also flown on holidays like Republic Day,
Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami. In fact, kite flying is common during the
six month period of Uttarayan which lasts till mid-July, but in Kolkata people fly kites
throughout the year.

In 2012, the kite manufacturing industry of Gujarat was estimated at Rs 175 crore, giving
employment to 30,000 people in Ahmedabad alone. The kite-making and selling business has
become a round-the-year cottage industry with participation of third generation family members.
Most of the paper utilised continues to be obtained from Hyderabad, and the string/manja from
Kolkata.

Killer Patangs

The string/cord/line used for fighter-kites is called manja/manjha which is usually made of
cotton (the latest nylon ones called Chinese manja are deadlier) but an abrasive coat of crushed
glass is gummed on to it making it razor sharp – each person tries to make his line the sharpest.
Using this manja, colourful paper-cum-bamboo kites are flown from rooftops with the aim of
cutting other kite-strings, either by letting the line loose at high speed or by repeatedly yanking
it.

The Manja used for Flying Kites unwittingly severely Wounds Birds – and Humans

On being cut, rival kites are seen drifting away with the wind… but innocent birds like kites and
pigeons smoothly gliding in the sky are also seen falling limp to the ground. In fact, there are
reports of pedestrians and people commuting on two wheelers also being injured/killed with this
deadly manja of the ‘cut’ kites slashing their necks and causing loss of blood. And then, there are
the children who in their enthusiasm to catch the ‘cut’ kites also hurt themselves. For example, in
January 2013 a 12-year old boy plunged to death from the fourth floor of a building when flying
a kite in Pune.

The famous Jain Charity Bird Hospital in Delhi treats thousands of birds like pigeons, kites and
even some wild specie of birds, injured by sharp, glass-coated kite/patang manja (catapults and
air guns also) throughout the year. In every city where kites are flown at least one bird a day gets
entangled in manja and dies.

The fact is that however carefully a kite is flown the manja can unwittingly severely wound birds
that are flying in the air. They some how get entangled with the manja, struggle in panic and then
fall to the ground. The manja cuts their wings, bodies or feet so deep it results in profuse
bleeding and often gruesome death if beheaded. The Fire Brigade in Mumbai says that the
maximum calls they get are to rescue birds which have got entangled in manja.

Also when thrown away, this very manja can easily entangle in birds’ legs and bodies resulting
in painful amputation and finally death. It can even hurt other animals that forage in the garbage.
(Ordinary string and thread too is harmful because it can easily entangle in a bird’s feet and
hamper its flying capacity which affects its survival.)

Precautions

For years Beauty Without Cruelty studied the problem by witnessing hundreds of injured birds
being brought for first aid to Mumbai’s Kabutarkhana (pigeon shelter) on Makar Sankranti and
came to the conclusion that although not intentional, flying kites certainly does harm birds. The
two solutions widely circulated in the city by Beauty Without Cruelty requested people not to
use manja, and not to fly kites in crowded areas or near bird colonies. It was also suggested that
Government should not declare Makar Sankranti a holiday so less people would fly kites on the
day.

The happy outcome of this Beauty Without Cruelty public awareness campaign was that
beginning Makar Sankranti 2005 a lesser number of injury cases have arisen and been brought
for treatment as kites in Mumbai are now being flown, presumably without manja on open
grounds and away from tall buildings. Unfortunately, this is not so in other cities where kite-
fights occur and with the increasing use of the new deadlier Chinese manja. In every place
where kites are flown at least one bird a day gets entangled in manja and dies and people get
injured frequently.

As manja used for kite flying cuts and profusely bleeds birds as well as humans, many NGOs
have taken up the issue. In 2009-10 it was banned in cities like Chennai and Mumbai. The
Economic Times reported “Manja ban takes the wind out of Makar Sankranti” and with people
losing interest in kite-flying, many kite-makers abandoned their profession. But Gujarat’s 2010
Uttarayan went ahead with kites battling in the sky. Five humans and hundreds of birds also
battled for their lives – and died. At least 250 persons and countless birds were seriously injured
because of the banned Chinese dori (manja) was sold under the counter. The state government
also issued an appeal not to fly kites between 6:00 to 8:00 am and 5:00 to 7:00 pm when more
birds fly.
In 2011 manja for flying kites was banned in Ludhiana, Jagraon and Khanna rural districts of
Punjab. Also a day after Makar Sankranti that year, the Police banned the sale and use of
Chinese kite-string (magnetic, plastic and razor-sharp dor) in Amritsar city and district, because
it was responsible for the death of a person and nearly half a dozen were injured by it.

The international annual kite flying festival-competition is held as usual on the banks of the
Sabarmati river. In Ahmedabad, Uttarayan 2011 claimed about eight lives, one of which was a
four-year old girl whose throat was slit with Chinese dori despite a 2009 ban (never put into
practise) on its use for kite-flying. Nearly 300 more humans were injured. But no one counted
how many (thousands) birds got injured or died. Similarly, in Jaipur 250 kite flying accidents
occurred in 2011 – 30 of which were children. 81 birds were rescued whereas 16 died due to
manja injuries.

2012 Makar Sankranti – better, but…

In Mumbai 129 birds got injured. As injuries in 2011 were 316, there was a considerable
improvement. It was put down to greater awareness resulting in lesser people flying kites.

A 50% drop in bird injuries was also recorded in Surat by an NGO. One of the organisations
organised a human-like funeral procession for the killed birds.

Meanwhile, some jeev daya organisations convinced hundreds of Jain families to say no to kite
flying on Uttarayan.

However, manja did not spare some critically endangered white-backed vultures – eight were
injured around Ahmedabad. And, at Bhavnagar twenty painted storks died due to Chinese
manja.

Many NGOs in different cities like Jaipur and Ahmedabad, set up initiatives to save birds so
that their volunteers could rush to their rescue. In Gujarat the Forest Department declared that of
the birds rescued, 90% were pigeons whereas 10% consisted of peacocks, vultures, crows and
owls.

In Pune too, the majority of birds that got injured were pigeons although a couple of crows were
also reported to have been hurt.

Kite flying also landed people in hospital: for example many children fell off balconies and
terraces, while a few others were cut by the manja while flying kites in Jaipur.
Awareness and Action

In 2009 Beauty Without Cruelty requested the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests to
consider issuing an immediate Notification banning all types of manja. By placing this
restriction on the manufacture, sale, purchase, use and possession of manja, an unimaginably
high number of birds’ lives will be saved, however it has not materialised.

Meanwhile, Beauty Without Cruelty is informing people what they can do to save innocent
birds from unintentional injuries during kite flying and has requested the Government to ban the
use of sharp, glass-coated kite-strings or patang manja which kills and maims thousands of
birds like pigeons, kites and wild bird species throughout the year.

Only three countries use manja for kite flying. They are India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
However, flying kites was banned in Pakistan because of lethal kite-fights which led to many
injuries and deaths due to the use of strings coated not only with glass but also with shards of
metal.