NEW DELHI: A wearied White-throated Kingfisher, caught in a deadly glue trap, was rescued from Delhi Cantonment area on Saturday.
Glue trap devices consist of pieces of cardboard, fibreboard, or plastic, coated with a sticky adhesive, designed to ensnare any small animal who wanders across or lands on its surface. It took over two hours to free the bird and safely remove the deadly glue from its beak and feathers.
The bird was sighted near a dump by a passer-by, who found the bird inextricably stuck to a rat glue trap, trying desperately to escape from the situation.
“The bird must have landed on the trap while trying to feed on the already trapped rats,” said Soma Guru, who called NGO Wildlife SOS to rescue the kingfisher.
“Glue traps are one of the cruellest ways of killing animals. They often rip patches of skin, fur, and feathers off the animals’ bodies as they struggle to escape, and many animals even chew off their own limbs as they try to free themselves. Some even get their faces stuck in the glue and suffocate to death, said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS.
“It is heartening to see more people are making a conscious decision to help out animals in distress,” he added.
The White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon Smyrnensis) also known as the White-breasted Kingfisher is the most commonly found species of the bird in the Indian subcontinent.
Wasim Akram, manager, Special Projects Wildlife SOS said, “The Kingfisher is under immense stress and has been kept in mandated medical observation to ensure it recuperates safely from the ordeal.”