Tuesday night seems to be one of the most adventurous night in the city as a Brahminy Kite which was stuck for four days at a height of 175 feet on Chinese manja — a type of nylon thread used to fly kites — was rescued .
A city-based NGO on 1 Feb received a call that the bird was found trapped in a Nilgiri tree at 9th Cross, Wilson Garden. After the NGO tried and failed to rescue the bird, citizens informed BBMP’s forest cell on February 3 which also fell flat.
The Nilgiri tree where the bird was stuck was slippery to climb and more than 200 feet tall. As there were no adjacent buildings at that height, the rescue was challenging. Eight corpses of birds in the tree found during the rescue operation proved the mission was risky.
As the time was running out for the bird, Sharath R Babu, Environment advisor to BBMP forest cell, finally decided to seek the aid of professional mountaineers who rehearse at Kanteerava Stadium.
By the time rescue operation began, it was 6 pm. A halogen floodlight was used to work against darkness.
“Madhu climbed the tree step by step and reached the top. As directed by us from the ground, he cut the branch the kite was stuck to. Next, he lowered the bird using the same rope he used to climb. He also noticed a Pariah Kite that was stranded in the tree and rescued it,” Jairaj said.
“By the time the Brahminy Kite was brought down alive it was 9.30 pm. The bird was very weak. It is now recovering at the Bannerghatta’s rehab centre,” said Prasanna Kumar.