Mumbai: An injured flamingo was rushed to a city veterinary on Thursday morning after it was rescued from the interiors of Vasai. A preliminary examination revealed that the bird had pellet wounds in one of its wings and multiple fractures. Even if it survives, it may not be able to fly.
Locals at Rajaudi beach in Vasai spotted the injured bird. Fearing that dogs may attack it, they took it home and called Sachin Main, founder of the National and Environment Society of Thane (NEST), for help. “They told me that they had brought a bird home as it was unable to fly. On seeing a picture of the bird, I realised that it was a lesser flamingo, which is typically three feet long. I asked them to take certain precautions for the bird. As no rescues vans were available, I called the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) team and ensured that the bird was sent for treatment to Bandra,” he said.
Pawan Sharma, founder of RAWW, who sent a rescue vehicle to Vasai, said, “Detailed examinations revealed that the bird had multiple fractures. It was probably chased by dogs on the beach, which may have caused the fractures.”
Dr. Rina Dev, an avian expert and the attending vet, said, “The left wing of the bird is completely damaged. It has not eaten anything since two days and is also dehydrated. Due to trauma it is not eating food on its own. We will take a call on our next step towards its health on Friday.”
This comes after state’s mangrove cell department in collaboration with researchers from the Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology to undertake a comprehensive study of the migratory flamingo birds that arrive in the city.
Previous incidents
- In January 2017, four severely injured flamingos were found at the Thane and Vashi creek.
- Two of the dead had multiple fractures on their legs.
- While the remaining two were allegedly shot by airguns.
- According to experts, birds suffer trauma when in captivity.
- All four birds had stopped eating and were in great trauma.
