Swarms of seagulls have started flocking the shorelines of the Vasai creek near Kashimira, and are seen perched on the railings of the fly-over-bridge on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. This is attracting the attention of motorists, some stopping over to feed the white-headed migratory birds with all kinds of junk food while clicking selfies, unaware of the fact that it could prove disastrous for them.
Seagulls are fish-eating omnivores that also eat crustaceans, insects and other marine life. However, consuming junk food which is nutritionally inferior and poor substitutes for natural foods, raises possibilities of indigestion and causes damage to their livers, which can be an obstacle for them in their return journey-sometimes covering more than 10,000 kilometers.
Apart from causing irreparable health issues to the seagulls, the feeders are also endangering lives of other bikers and motorists by illegally parking their vehicles on the highway bridge while the road traffic zips past at a high speed.
Raising concerns, environmentalists and nature lovers have sought the intervention of officials attached to the mangrove cell, forest and traffic department to immediately put an end to such harmful and illegal acts. Owing to a sharp fall in the temperatures in the polar regions, various species of seagulls in order to escape from the harsh winter season, migrate to warmer places in India-mostly between October and March.
