Among the wildlife we rescued last month was this raptor called a brahminy kite. This magnificent bird had become badly entangled in kite string and was dangling from a branch 60 feet off the ground, just crying for help. A kind passerby notified the local fire brigade, which tried unsuccessfully to reach the bird. The power company was also notified and agreed to turn off the electricity in the power line that was right below the branch. In the meantime, Animal Rahat was notified and immediately dispatched a rescue team.

At this point, a crowd had gathered around and someone mentioned seeing the bird struggling three days earlier—yet no one had bothered to get help! This animal had been helplessly trapped and struggling, without food or water, for 72 hours.

More difficulties ensued when even the power company’s “cherry picker” (basket crane) at its highest point was still 20 feet short of allowing us to reach the kite. So our team members got a long wooden pole and tied a knife to the end. They got as close as they could in the crane and then spent the next 40 minutes carefully cutting the branch enough to allow them to grab it as it fell and bring the kite to the ground. It took another 20 minutes to remove all the string. The kite had sustained a laceration to his wing, so in consultation with one of our vets, the team administered a painkiller to him and cleaned his wound. The bird was taken to a volunteer’s home to recover and received regular follow-up visits. However, even after three weeks, he was unable to fly, so we transferred him to a wildlife rehabilitation facility, where he is receiving specialized care.