Bird Brothers

This is the story of Nadeem Shehzad and Muhamma Saud, who live in Delhi, India’s capital and one of the world’s most populated cities. These brothers have devoted their lives to protecting the black kite, commonly known as the cheel, a majestic bird of prey that is crucial to the ecosystem of their city.

 

Yet for more than a decade, these birds have been falling out of Delhi’s sky at an alarming rate.

As you see learned in this story, thousands of black kites get injured every year by manja, the glass-crusted coated nylon thread of a paper kite. A favorite tradition of Delhiites, competitive kite flying is deadly for the birds. (AltThough Delhi banned manja in 2017, it’s still widely available.) But there are other hazards for black kites too. Sometimes they collide with buildings. Other times they choke on the toxic air.

 

Nadeem (Nadeem prefers to be called Nadeem and Mohammad prefers to be called Saud.) and Saud grew up in a working-class Muslim neighborhood, where it was common to feed kites meat scraps. This gave them an appreciation for the birds from a young age. Now their tiny basement is the world’'s largest rescue facility for black kites. Since 2010, the brothers have nursed more than 26,000 birds back to health. They do delicate wing repairs and, surgery to fix bones, suture muscles, and reconnect tendons. They also make sure that the birds don’t get too attached to humans, so that they maintain their natural behavior.

 

In recent years, the brothers have had invitations from around the world to share their unique knowledge of kite surgery, called the Reconstruction of the Wing. Since they established Wildlife Rescue, an NGO, they have received donations to support their work. They also have help from friend and volunteer Salik Rehman.

 [VS1]It is spelled Mohammad on many sites, including the IMDb website for All That Breathes. Which is the correct spelling?