‘Injured Birds’ to Appeal to Pune Residents to Consider Birds This Makar Sankranti

For Immediate Release:

12 January 2023

Contact: 

Hiraj Laljani; [email protected]  

Radhika Suryavanshi; [email protected]   

Pune – On Friday, three supporters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India dressed as birds entangled in sharp kite-flying string (manja) and covered in “blood” will hold signs in the shape of kites that read, “Cut Out Glass-Coated Manja, Not Wings”. Their point? Glass-coated cotton and other sharp manja are responsible for injuries sustained by and the deaths of humans and thousands of birds and should be avoided to ensure that the festivals of Makar Sankranti and Lohri are safe and fun for all. 

When: Friday, 13 January, 12 noon sharp 

Where: Outside Westside Stores, Fergusson College Road, Pune, Maharashtra 411004 

“Sharp manja hurts and kills both humans and birds,” says PETA India Campaigns Manager Radhika Suryavanshi. “We urge everyone to say no to manja to ensure that Makar Sankranti is joyous for all, birds included.”  

Manja, in all its forms, puts humans, other animals, and the environment at risk. Razor-sharp strings, reinforced with glass powder and metal, have a disastrous impact on bird populations. Thousands of birds are killed each year when they’re cut or trapped by manja, which can get caught on trees or buildings and remain there for weeks. These birds, including endangered animals like vultures, are maimed by manja and often die from blood loss. Others escape and die slowly because rescuers cannot get to them. Manja then continues to pose a danger as it pollutes the environment and remains wrapped around trees and poles. 

Manja also results in many human deaths. Just this month, a Mumbai man was grievously hurt from manja while riding his bike, and another man in Surat died when his throat was slit by manja. In December last year, a man in Daund, Pune, lost his life when stray manja lacerated his throat and made him fall from his bike. In January 2022, over 450 people sustained injuries in kite-flying accidents during Uttarayan festivities in Gujarat alone.  

Manja also causes blackouts that are costly and death from electrocution. Power distribution companies have warned against flying kites around electricity supply lines, as this can cause fire and outages due to short-circuiting. 

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 

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