4 flamingos die dashing into 20-ft tall signage board in Nerul
Morning walkers and runners along Nerul Jetty, a well-known flamingo habitat which attracts bird and nature lovers, were shocked to find four dead birds on Thursday morning. A dead flamingo was found on the same spot last year too
Nerul: Morning walkers and runners along Nerul Jetty, a well-known flamingo habitat which attracts bird and nature lovers, were shocked to find four dead birds on Thursday morning. A dead flamingo was found on the same spot last year too.
The culprit is the nearly 20-feet tall signboard installed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) on the road leading to the jetty, which interrupts the flight of the birds to the adjacent wetlands. They fall to their death by dashing into the metal structure.
Manish Pitkar, a marathon runner, was among the first to spot the dead birds on Thursday morning. “I saw a flock flying by; the younger lot may have failed to notice the board. A total of six birds fell – after some struggle two managed to regain their composure and flew away, while the others who were badly hurt succumbed to the injury,” said Pitkar. Pitkar and Pritika Bhardwaj, who was with him, couldn’t reach the forest department’s helpline, after which they called the fire department. The fire officers put them on to a sarpmitra. “He arrived but it was of no help. Since there were no appropriate tools to bury the birds, he opted to release them into the adjacent lake,” said Bhardwaj.
The incident has riled up activists. After last year’s incident, they had questioned the placement of the signboard. “We had informed CIDCO and all concerned authorities about how the bird had died by flying into the signboard. We requested them to reconsider its placement,” said a resident and activist Shruti Agarwal.
A series of complaints was mailed by activists to CIDCO seeking required changes. Environmental activist advocate Pradeep Patole reached out to the state government to remove the board immediately. “I sent an email to CIDCO’s environment department and other concerned authorities. I told them to either remove it or reduce its height,” said Patole.
“What is the point of having the signboard when the jetty is not operational? Not only have the planners wasted public money for the infrastructure but are now responsible for placing life threatening obstacles in the path of flamingos,” said another resident Shahzad Barodawala.
Meanwhile, activist BN Kumar said citizens must maintain caution in the event of future instances before disposing of the dead bodies. Flamingos are migratory birds and protected under schedule IV of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. “There are procedures to be followed in the event of the death of birds. The bodies should have been taken for post mortem to ascertain the cause of death,” said Kumar.
When HT reached out to CIDCO’s joint managing director Kilas Shinde for his reaction, he said, “I will inquire into the matter and take corrective measures.”
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