Navi Mumbai, a city proud of its recognition for the presence of migratory Flamingo birds, has once again failed to protect them. In the wee hours of Friday, the life of one pink bird was lost as it was hit by a cab on the Palm Beach road.
"I saw one bird being hit by a cab going towards Belapur via the service road at NRI junction on the Palm Beach road. It was around 1.30 am, and I could not get through any associations, so we called the NRI police who took the lifeless bird. The bird was dizzy initially after the hit and then fell unconscious. Meanwhile, another flamingo found injured in the nearby premises was taken for treatment by Rescuing Association for Wildlife Welfare. According to the officials, the cause of injury is not clear."
Former corporator Bharat Jadhav posted a video showing two dead flamingos in the Seawoods NRI area. "It is bizarre that the flamingos came out of their wetland habitat and landed on the road," NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar said and called for an investigation by the environment department.
Dr. Rahul Khot, deputy director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), said this was the first time that he heard about flamingos landing on the road. They could have got disoriented or exhausted, he said, and observed that this calls for a follow-up.
NMMC, which erected solar lamp panels at TS Chanakya, removed them after environmentalists protested as the structures could impact the birds at the wetland. CIDCO was also forced to pull down a gigantic signboard at Nerul Jetty after three flamingos died as they crashed into the structure, early this year.
"This year the DPS lake, wherein the flamingos usually flock, is largely dry. This seems to be confusing the birds to wander further away from their fly path. It is surprising that instead of conserving the water body, NMMC in its Draft Development Plan has declared the area for residential purposes," said resident activist Rekha Sankala. After the incident, another flamingo was found dead by the forest department near the DPS area while another that seemed to be unconscious has been taken for treatment by Rescuing Association for Wildlife Welfare.
