Mumbai: In a tragic incident that has come to light from Mumbai city, at least 37 flamingos were found dead at different locations in Ghatkopar area on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The cause of the deaths is attributed to a mid-air collision of the birds with an aircraft.
According to a PTI report, various calls were received from people about the dead birds spotted at some places in Ghatkopar, Pawan Sharma, founder of the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and honorary wildlife warden with the forest department told PTI.
Search Operation Initiated
Acting immediately on the calls, the forest department's mangrove cell along with the RAWW teams initiated a search operation and found 29 dead flamingos in the area on Monday night, he further stated.
NatConnect Foundation, an organisation that works for the welfare of the environment and the animals & birds reacted to the tragic death of the flamingos in Ghatkopar.
"Absolutely tragic. Close to flamingos were found dead at Lakhsminagar, Ghatkopar in northeast Mumbai last night. The carcasses were scattered in pieces all over. Some it cd be due to an aircraft," wrote NatConnect Foundation in their latest post on X.
As per latest reports, the flamingos were involved in a mid-air collision with an Emirates flight. The airlines then shared a statement over the incident.
"ATC had alerted Emirates about the bird hits and on ground team at CSMIA had done a check of the aircraft which confirmed the unusual bird hits to Emirates flight while approaching the runway for landing," said Emirates in a statement confirming the tragic deaths of flamingos due to the collision.
NGO Vanshakti Responds To Tragic Incident
Environmentalist D Stalin of NGO Vanshakti said, “What caused the birds to fly into the aeroplane, etc. are being investigated. My theory is the new power lines through the sanctuary area are causing disorientation to the birds. It should have never been permitted... Alternate routes were many. While giving permissions for power lines(earlier, it was not allowed inside sanctuaries) the wildlife board meekly surrendered to the power company. Instead, the Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary was bulldozed and towers erected.”
Stalin claimed that it is also possible that the CIDCO, which started this theory of bird-hit danger to Navi Mumbai airport, has an indirect connection to this accident. “Wetlands in NRI complex area and TS Chanakya lakes are the home to flamingo flocks. Since last month, efforts have been made to disturb the birds there and get the water bodies to be brought under construction. If someone or some people had chased the birds out at night , the flocks might have attempted to fly towards Thane Creek and, in the process, met with the accident,” he said.
