Ahmedabad's Uttarayan Festival Remains a Major Threat to Local Wildlife
Uttarayan, the popular kite-flying festival in Ahmedabad, continues to pose a severe danger to birds and small wildlife. Early data from 2026 shows a troubling pattern. While pre-festival numbers dipped slightly, the festival-day surge in injuries remains firmly in place.
Injury Statistics Show a Persistent Problem
Figures from the Jivdaya Charitable Trust (JCT) highlight the scale of the issue. Between January 1 and 14, Ahmedabad recorded 1,780 bird and animal injury cases. This number is just 1.7% lower than the 1,811 cases reported during the same period in 2025.
Rescue workers emphasize that the true damage from Uttarayan concentrates on the two main festival days. In 2025, January 14 and 15 alone accounted for 1,306 cases. This represented more than a quarter of the entire month's total injuries.
2026 Data Follows a Similar Dangerous Trend
This year's pattern tracks dangerously close to previous years. On January 14 and until 1 PM on January 15, rescue centers already admitted about 774 injured birds and animals. The numbers kept climbing throughout the festival.
Gira Shah, a trustee of JCT, shared firsthand observations. "The cases keep rising," Shah said. "On Uttarayan day, our OPDs ran until 1 AM, and fresh cases continued to come in. These include pigeons, parakeets, and kites, in addition to migratory birds like painted storks."
Expanded Danger Window Increases Risks
Shah pointed out another concerning development. Celebrations now often start from mid-November. This expansion stretches the danger window from a few days to nearly a full month.
The longer festival period overlaps with peak migratory and nesting seasons for birds. This timing exacerbates the risks for vulnerable wildlife.
"Birds and even tiny stray animals come in with deep wing cuts, neck injuries, and fractures caused by sharp manjha," Shah added. The sharp kite strings, known as manjha, cause most of these severe injuries.
The situation calls for increased awareness and preventive measures. Protecting Ahmedabad's wildlife during Uttarayan remains a critical challenge for the city.
