Injured, bleeding flamingo rescued from a farm near Mumbai

Forest officials suspected that poachers had partially clipped the bird’s wings and wanted to sell its meat in Palghar near Mumbai

A farmer and a bird enthusiast rescued a bleeding flamingo from a farm at Vikramgadh in Palghar late on Tuesday.

The injured flamingo. (RAHUL WADEKAR)

Forest officials suspected that poachers had partially clipped the bird’s wings and wanted to sell its meat.

A veterinarian, Dr Rina Dev, was treating the bird at her clinic in Bandra, said a forest officer.

“Gynaeshwar Jadhav had gone to his farm in Oundhe village where he saw the fully-grown flamingo, which was unable to fly and bleeding. He asked Dilip Khutade to come to the farm,” added a source.

Jadhav said that Narendra Muthe, range forest officer, Vikramgadh, took the bird to SPCA Hospital in Thane.

“As the bird has received serious injuries, we have referred it to a vet in Bandra,” said Shakuntala Mazumdar, president, SPCA,Thane.

Dr Dev said that the right wing was severely wounded and poachers might have injured it prevent it from flying.

“Thanks to Jadhav and Khutade that the bird was rescued. It is dehydrated and is not eating even its favourite food: algae and worms. We will keep it under observation and later hand it over to a animal rescue centre. It will be kept there until it is fit to fly,” Dr Dev said.

“Now, poachers have resorted to clipping wings,” said Mazumdar.

Killing flamingos is an offence under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, he said.

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