Mumbai: While Mumbaikars were locked up in their homes during the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nature got its time to heal in absence of the human intervention. The Arabian sea which hoards an array of species, more often different kinds of aquatic creatures have been spotted several times by the Mumbaikars. During the lockdown, weeks and after, several videos of dolphins being spotted in the sea had brought cheer among netizens. The latest sighting was midway between Alibaug and Gateway of India on Sunday (21st February), when a pod of dolphins decided to play around a boat coming back to the city.
Shaunak Modi Co-founder of Coastal Conservation Foundation, Mumbai said, "I know people who have been seeing them (dolphins) for 20-25 years now." As per a report in Indian Express, Modi said that these are Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. "They are coastal species, which means they live in nearshore waters and we have been seeing them every single day for a few years now," he said.
He also refuted the claims that the lockdown imposed during the pandemic helped lower water pollution levels resulting in the increased sighting of the dolphins. "These animals live in Mumbai waters. It’s not like some rare sighting or they have come from somewhere," he added. According to him, this is the habitat that they live in and it has no connection to pollution or lockdown."
Modi also blamed social media saying that misinformation on the subject hampers the work they have been doing to spread awareness about keeping the Mumbai waters clean. He also said, "the fact that there are dolphins in Mumbai waters should be a reason why the water should be cleaned up. This is why so much sewage shouldn’t make it to the sea."
While the unusual sighting of the dolphins left many citizens frenzied, the aquatic animals didn’t make a sudden appearance due to humans staying inside their homes. In no time Twitteratis shared the video of the sighting. Take a look.
