5 flamingos dead, 7 injured mysteriously near Seawoods in 24 hours

“It needs to be probed why only such incidents are happening in the wetlands itself,” said Kharghar-based activist Jyoti Nadkarni

Navi Mumbai: Bird lovers and environmental activists are seeking a thorough investigation after finding 12 injured flamingos in the wetlands near Seawoods, out of which five eventually died. The remaining seven are undergoing treatment.

5 flamingos dead, 7 injured mysteriously in 24 hrs

Morning walkers found the flamingos lying motionless in the wetlands before seeking assistance from the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA), a Thane-based NGO.

“This is the first time that so many flamingos are getting injured mysteriously,” said bird lover and activist Rekha Sankala. “Just last week, three of the birds had died and one was injured. We need to ascertain the reason for the mysterious deaths and injuries to the birds.”

The carcasses of the dead birds were handed over to the state forest department, and the post-mortem report is awaited. “It needs to be probed why only such incidents are happening in the wetlands itself,” said Kharghar-based activist Jyoti Nadkarni.

One of the possible reasons, according to activists, could be the lack of water in the wetlands, which might be prompting the birds to venture out. “I have alerted all the authorities about the damage being caused and have sought for necessary action, which includes ensuring there is tidal water flow into the wetlands. The authorities have assured they’ll do a site inspection and take corrective measures,” said BN Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, a non-profit in the environmental protection sector.

Last week, a flamingo that had wandered away from the wetland and was walking on Palm Beach Road was killed after being hit by a speeding vehicle. This was again put down to the lack of water in the Delhi Public School lake, where the flamboyance flocks every year. In addition to the low water level, scientists studying flamingos attributed the act of the birds aimlessly walking into urban areas to harsh lighting in high-rise buildings.

In February, three flamingos died after crashing into a huge signboard that was obstructing their flight path near Nerul jetty. The signboard was eventually removed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra.