Lucknow, Aug 30 (IANS): In a heart-warming gesture, the Lucknow police rescued a 'koel' (cuckoo) that had got entangled in a kite string on a eucalyptus tree in the reserve police lines.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Chiranjeev Nath Sinha told IANS that he received a call about the bird being entangled in a kite string on Sunday evening.

"We rushed a team from the fire service and the Lucknow Zoo to the reserve police lines who managed to free the bird by cutting the kite string. The bird was injured and the Lucknow Zoo team provided medical aid to the bird which was later set free," he said.

Chiranjeev Nath Sinha is a wildlife enthusiast who was appointed as brand ambassador of the Lucknow Zoo earlier this year.

He won appreciation for feeding stray animals during the lockdown and encouraged people to adopt animals in the zoo.

He also joined hands with PETA to stop cruelty to horses by launching enforcement drives against the illegal use of spikes for horses.

These drives were conducted throughout the city against the illegal use of these spikes or thorns put in the horse's mouth. The rein is then attached to these spikes to control the horses used for work and rides in Lucknow. The use of these spikes is widely prevalent despite them being banned under the Rule 8 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Draught and Pack Animals Rules, 1965.

Sinha's initiatives have helped in transforming the image of the Lucknow police that is usually known for 'harsh' behaviour.