Brahminy Kite Trapped by Fishing Hook Rescued at Yelahanka Lake

A juvenile Brahminy Kite trapped on a power line by a fishing hook at Yelahanka Lake was rescued and successfully released back into the wild, highlighting the ongoing hazard discarded fishing gear poses to urban wildlife across Bengaluru.

The bird was spotted by resident Shobha Kollath, who alerted the Avian and Reptile Rehabilitation Centre (ARRC). Rescuers from ARRC reached the stranded bird from both the shore and the water with assistance from local fishermen and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) personnel, who ensured the electrical infrastructure was handled safely.

Upon reaching the site, rescuers found the fishing line wrapped around both the kite and the power line, with a barbed hook lodged in the bird's foot. The team safely restrained the kite before cutting the line. The hook was subsequently removed under anaesthesia, and the bird was treated until its foot healed before being released by ARRC.

Lead wildlife rehabilitator Subiksha Venkatesh noted that visible entanglement often conceals deeper hazards, as hooks can be lodged in feet or mouths, or even swallowed. Securing the bird prior to cutting the line prevents it from flying away with embedded hooks and trailing lines, which could cause further injury or secondary entanglement.

According to Dr Ashritha Carlo, ARRC has previously treated other wildlife impacted by discarded fishing gear, including a cormorant and a pond heron that had swallowed hooks. Discarded lines, hooks, and abandoned or lost nets—known as ghost nets—remain hazardous long after fishing activity ends. Waterbirds, raptors, turtles, and snakes using lake margins risk entanglement, tissue damage, restricted circulation, or internal injuries.

Senior wildlife rescuers Vijay Gowda and Sridhar CS highlighted that fishing gear forms part of a broader waste problem accumulating around urban wetlands. While dumping waste into waterbodies is prohibited under Karnataka law, discarded material remains common, prompting ARRC to urge the introduction of dedicated fishing gear disposal points and active retrieval of ghost nets.