Uttarayan in Gujarat leaves over 5,400 birds injured, 91% rescued

As many as 5,439 birds were injured by deadly kite strings during the Uttarayan festival in Gujarat, of which 4,937 birds—around 91%—were rescued.

As per information relating to the Karuna Abhiyan over the past nine years, a total of 1.03 lakh animals and birds have been rescued across the state.

All of them were provided timely medical treatment and successfully saved. Data released by the animal helpline 1962 shows that, compared to last year, animal-related emergency cases declined by 25%, while bird-related emergencies recorded a massive 1,669% surge in relation to normal days.

District-wise data indicates a sharp rise in emergency cases, with Ahmedabad reporting an 85% increase, Aravalli at 103%, Surat at 75%, and Jamnagar at 54%.

In Ahmedabad, against an average of 101 daily emergency calls related to animals and birds, 186 calls were received on Uttarayan. These included 107 cases of injured animals and 79 cases of injured birds. Officials said the number of bird injury cases is likely to increase further in the coming days.

5,000 kites removed from airport runway

Meanwhile, a special 12-member team was deployed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad to prevent disruption to aircraft operations caused by kites landing on the runway.

The team removed around 5,000 kites from the runway area, ensuring that take-off and landing operations remained smooth and uninterrupted, airport authorities said.