Chinese kite string endangering birds in Kangra district

Dharamsala, March 24

Chinese plastic thread used for flying kites has been banned in Kangra district as it is life threatening for birds. A brown hawk owl, a rare variety of bird found in Himachal, was found trapped in the Chinese thread hanging across trees in Dharamsala region on Thursday. Volunteers of Kranti NGO who work for wild and stray animals rescued the bird.

Deeraj Mahajan of Kranti NGO said it was with great difficulty that they managed to save the rare bird trapped in Chinese thread. “We tried to break the thread with hands but couldn’t. The brown hawk owl that was rescued received serious injuries while struggling to free itself from the plastic thread in which it was trapped. It was not an isolated case. We have been receiving reports from many parts of the district regarding wild and stray animals getting injured due to the Chinese thread,” he said.

Mahajan said it was strange that despite the fact that the Chinese plastic thread was banned both in Punjab and Himachal it was finding its way into both the states. The thread poses an ecological danger besides being a threat to the lives of birds, animals and even humans. The government should initiate strict steps against the sale of this banned Chinese product, he added.