Save Birds This Makar Sankranti! 'Angel Eyes Animal Welfare Foundation' Tells You How

Sunday, March 06 2016, 03:01:09

Komal Panwar

Blogger

Save Birds This Makar Sankranti! ‘Angel Eyes Animal Welfare Foundation’ Tells You How

JWB Post

January 13, 2016

Makar Sankranti is one of the most favourite festivals of Rajasthan. It is the day when we paint the entire sky in different colours. Sadly, in the moment of the celebration, we forget that we are converting the sky into a bird slaughterhouse.

Picture this, a mother leaves her nest in the morning to bring food for them, but she never returns because she’s caught and slaughtered in the deadly manjha. Men and women alike, it is my urgent request to you to please avoid the usage of Chinese manjha, or as some call it, kaanch ka manjha. Even though banned by the Government, it is illegally sold at shops.

Let’s together do our part in keeping the birds alive. Here’s how:

We spoke to Abhishek Singh of Angel Eyes Animal Welfare Foundation, an organization that, as the name suggests, works towards Animal Welfare. The organization was started by Manta Sidhu (President of the Foundation).

While Manta began the organization in New Delhi, Abhishek is handling Jaipur.

JWB: When did it all begin?

Abhishek: I moved to Jaipur four years ago, and being a kite-flying manic myself, I had no idea about the amount of cruelty that was happening to the birds. Did you know there are more than five thousand birds who get injured during the kite flying festival in Jaipur alone? Even out of those, only about 40% birds survive, the rest either get severely injured or die.

JWB: What does the organization do during the kite festival?

Abhishek: During the festival, we put up camps where an entire veterinary team is present (Vaishali Nagar). In fact, before the camp, tomorrow we are organizing a rally where we will be showcasing the effects of manjha.

JWB: What timings should we avoid flying kites?

Abhishek: The kite flying timings are, of course, a grave issue. You should avoid kite flying from 5 am until 8 am. It is the time that the birds are most active; it is also the same time slot during the evening.

JWB: Chinese manjha has been banned, but is it really? It is still pretty much available in shops, isn’t it?

Abhishek: Did you know that the glass manjha is a good conductor of electricity? And it’s not only harmful to birds but also to human beings. There are incidents where people have been electrocuted! Imagine what it does to birds! And yes, it is available in shops, simply because people have collected it all in a good stock, so clearly, why would they want to suffer loss? About 20% of them has barely agreed not to sell the manjha. It’s pretty much hopeless in some cases.

JWB: What do we do if we see an injured bird?

Abhishek: You can call our helpline number +919782000077

JWB humbly requests everyone to please fly your kites after 8.30 am, and avoid using Chinese manjha.

Please remember, Karma is a bitch.