A kite, untangled from manja over Pashan lake
Pashan, Pune · Apr 2026
A black kite grounded by glass-coated manja, treated for a wing laceration and released back over Pashan lake within three weeks.
Every Makar Sankranti we brace for manja injuries. This black kite came down over Pashan lake trailing glass-coated thread, with a deep laceration across the leading edge of its right wing.
Raptors need that wing to be perfect — a bird that cannot fly a hundred metres to hunt will starve. We cleaned the wound, sutured the skin, and gave the bird three weeks of cage rest with daily wound checks.
On release day, the kite sat on our gloved hand for a full minute, oriented, and was gone. Released back over Pashan lake, healthy, April 2026.
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