45 herons die in Thane hsg soc’s tree trimming act

Range forest officer (RFO) Dinesh Desale said: “We have recorded the deaths of 45 herons and injuries to 27. While the trees were trimmed with TMC’s permission, we are verifying whether the rules mentioned in the approval letter were followed”

THANE: Forty five herons died while 27 others were rescued when their nests were destroyed during a tree trimming exercise at Rutu Enclave Cooperative Housing Society, at Ghodbunder Road, Thane, on Thursday.

Thane, India - July -17, 2025: While trimming trees in the compound of a society on Ghodbunder Road, in Thane, the nest of the herons on the trees were destroyed, and about 25 herons died, and 15 were rescued through the Forest Department and Wildlife Welfare Association (NGO) Further investigation is being conducted by the Forest Department .,in Thane,in Mumbai, India, on, Thursday, July -17, 2025. ( Praful Gangurde / HT Photo ) (praful Gangurde)

While the society had received the permission to trim between 15 to 20 trees within the housing complex, including the recreational area, from Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) last week, following Thursday’s incident, the forest department is investigating if the society had abided by the rules.

Range forest officer (RFO) Dinesh Desale said: “We have recorded the deaths of 45 herons and injuries to 27. While the trees were trimmed with TMC’s permission, we are verifying whether the rules mentioned in the approval letter were followed.”

A forest department official, who did not wish to be named, said, norms dictate that only 20% of a tree’s branches should be trimmed under such permissions. “However, in this case, the society members and contractors have trimmed more than 50%, which appears to be a clear violation,” said the official.

The trimming reportedly began around 1:30 pm by a private contractor hired by the society. The incident came to light around 2pm, when a resident of the housing society alerted Mypalclub Foundation, an NGO that rescues stray animals in Thane city, after spotting several dead birds lying on the ground. Word got around and local activist Nishant Bangera, who is also the founder of Muse Foundation, an NGO that works on issues related to the environment, also reached the site. Volunteers of Mypalclub Foundation and Bangera reported the matter to TMC, and alleged civic officials “were reluctant to act promptly”.

Other animal lovers soon converged at the spot to rescue the birds. Officials from the civic body’s disaster management cell, who arrived at the spot eventually, said the department received the first call from a bird rescuer, Rohit Mohite. Teams from Kasarvadavali police station, forest department, Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA), Mypalclub Foundation and tree authority reached the site too. Officials confirmed several nests with unhatched eggs had been destroyed during the operation.

“Five birds were found stuffed inside a sack while several others were lying in open gutters,” a rescuer told HT.

Condemning the incident, a volunteer from Mypalclub Foundation said, “We received distressing videos from a resident showing dead and injured birds, broken nests and eggs scattered across the area. Many of the dead were fledglings, who were crushed under branches or thrown from nests.” The volunteer added, “despite repeated requests contractors and members of the society did not halt the activity”.

While HT failed to reach the chairman of the housing society as he, along with other members, were busy with officials from the forest department and police, a society resident Vivek Vadke said, “We had taken permission for trimming. The birds were creating a mess around the society by nesting and littering the area.”

A senior forest official said, “These seasonal birds arrive around the end of May and beginning of June to nest, and usually leave by the end of the season. While trimming trees, special care should have been taken to protect their nests, as clearly mentioned in the tree trimming rule book.”