Maanja kills birds in Lalbagh

by November 15, 2010 Environment

The second instance I saw birds getting entangled in kite thread and dying, and the officials are yet to look into preventing this disaster.

A crow, caught in the maanja. Pic: Saandip N G.

I witnessed murder of my avian friends in Lalbagh, near the Glass House on Sunday morning. The culprit? A manja daara is a thread used for flying kites. This is very strong and is smeared with fine powered glass to increase its strength.

Everyone present witnessed the birds being killed. Even the horticulture department workers inside Lalbagh ignored it and shook their heads as if it not of any concern to them.

This is the second time I am noticing, unattended kite threads passing through many trees in Lalbagh. The birds get entangled in this thread and die.  I saw a myna which had got caught, it was still alive and was calling out in distress, but sadly it invited crows that helped end its life.

Lalbagh Botanical Garden is located in the heart of Bangalore city – an institution of botanical and environmental importance, also an important lung space of Bangalore.

A myna, caught in the maanja. Pic: Saandip N G.

I urge the authorities to take necessary action to clear the unattended manja threads immediately so that the many migratory birds are not affected.

⊕

Sections:

About Saandip N G

Read more by Saandip N G

Comments:

  1. Deepa Mohan says:
    November 16, 2010 at 9:39 am

    Excellent documentation of a problem which many of us are not aware of, and some of us ignore. What can be done about this, I wonder?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Where are the flamingos? How Metro construction is devastating Chennai’s Pallikaranai Marsh   

by and June 20, 2026 Environment
In a report, environmentalists warn marsh blockages increase flood risk for South Chennai and call for urgent measures to avert ecological damage.

On a regular day in May, the calls of migratory waders and other shorebirds foraging in sprawling mudflats fill the air in the southern reaches of Chennai. May is the dry season for the Pallikaranai Marsh, when water levels naturally recede, exposing the critical feeding and breeding grounds that attract hundreds of bird species to this globally recognised urban wetland. But this year is different. The mudflats are gone. In their place is a stagnant expanse of water. This unusual water level during the dry season is not due to early rains. Indiscriminate construction within the marsh is blocking the…

Continue reading

Similar Story

CIDCO’s new flamingo study raises questions on Navi Mumbai airport safety, wetland future

by June 8, 2026 Environment
The Bombay Natural History Society had earlier pointed out that protecting wetlands and ensuring aviation safety should go hand in hand.

The City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO)'s decision to appoint Australian aviation consultancy Avisure to study bird movement around the Navi Mumbai International Airport has raised fresh questions about the future of Navi Mumbai's wetlands. The agency has cited the ongoing study as grounds to defer legal protection for DPS Flamingo Lake, arguing that no irreversible decision should be taken until the assessment of bird-related aviation risks is complete. But bird movement around the airport is not being studied for the first time. Findings of BNHS More than a decade ago, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) was…

Continue reading