FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Fairfax County has one message for the public: Our parks are no place for kite fighting.
According to the Fairfax County Park Authority, materials often used in kite fighting have been found tangled in treetops, along trails and in the water and open green spaces at county parks.
Kite fighting is prohibited at all Fairfax County Parks due to increasing reports of harm to wildlife, vegetation, maintenance equipment and the inhered risks to public safety. People who are caught kite fighting will be asked to stop. Those who refuse and repeatedly violate the rule may potentially be banned from county park use.
Kite fighting is a popular competition in Asian countries. The objective is to cut the opponent's line, so people will often switch out the common thread with a super-sharp string. Kite fighters will often replace strings with stronger and sharper material, such as metal filament, piano wire, fishing line and line coated with glass fragments.
Once the line is cut, the defeated kits are blown away by the wind, trailing long lines of sharpened string behind them.
"Often, the kite debris and attached string are not recovered and disposed of, leaving a potentially near-invisible hazard for animals and people," the Fairfax County website reads.
Park officials and people visiting have reported potential harm to birds, reptiles and other wildlife that have gotten caught in kite lines. Additionally, crews are concerned about the string becoming wrapped up in mowers and other equipment.
Anyone who sees kite fighting, or any other unsafe activities in the parks, is asked to contact the Fairfax County Police Department's non-emergency number at 703-691-2131.
Since the beginning of the year, the shelter has received more than 1,100 dogs.