Mumbai: The fourth injured flamingo that was found by bird watchers, passed away on Thursday. The death of the four flamingos since January 12, which occurred at Thane creek and Vashi creek, has worried bird lovers and experts alike.
The flamingo that died on Thursday had been found with fractures on one of its legs. Out of the three others that died in the last three weeks, two were allegedly targeted with airguns, while the third had also sustained multiple fractures. The autopsy on the fourth bird, which will establish the cause of death, is yet to be conducted. According to experts, such birds suffer trauma when in captivity. All the four birds who died are suspected to have undergone trauma and had stopped eating.
Dr. Deepa Katyal, who is in the board of directors in International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, was the first one to treat the two birds from Vashi. She said, “There could be various reasons behind the injury. But whatever is the case, if there was a facility exclusively for these birds, the situation could have been avoided. There are absolutely no services special cases like these. Such cases need specialisations and awareness about the birds and their behaviour. We don’t quite know what kind of knowledge and specialisation area the existing authorities have.”
These migratory birds are believed to migrate to the city from Gujarat by September end and leave the city pre monsoon. The Mangrove Cell plans to come up with an interpretation centre and a flamingo’s sanctuary for tourist and bird lovers. According to officials from the state forest department, this facility is expected to commence in a month’s time.
Explaining the urgent need for a rehabilitation centre, Pawan Sharma, founder of Resqink Association of Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), who has been following the issues with the concerned authority said, “There has to be a team to patrol the areas with flamingo populations. If there is no seriousness from the authorities, then such cases might probably occur more frequently. This makes it more urgent to concentrate on preventing such cases by working with locals and bird watchers.”
Chief conservator of forest, N. Vasudevan of State Mangrove Cell was not available for comment.
