At least four flamingos died and two others were injured after they hit a 20 feet signboard of Nerul Jetty on Thursday morning. The dead birds were immersed in the creek by locals. This is the second incident wherein a flamingo died after hitting the signboard.
Manish Pitkar, who visits the jetty in a group for marathon preparation, witnessed the incident. He said that a flock of flamingos took off from the DPS wetland and a few of them hit the sign board of the jetty. It seems that the sign board comes in the path of birds. “A total of six birds, mostly juvenile, hit the sign board and fell. Two of them managed to fly again after they were pacified by locals. But four flamingos died on the spot,” said Pitkar.
After the incident, they also called a bird rescuer team. However, by the time they came, two birds flew and four died. Last year in May, in a similar manner a flamingo died and residents have taken the matter to the concerned authority.
Rekha Sankhala, another resident of NRI Complex said that the signboard was erected without thinking that this can be dangerous for birds. “The water body near DPS is the only place where we can see flamingos easily. Hundreds of residents flock to see the birds that start arriving at the end of December,” she said.
Pitkar called the fire brigade after he noticed the bird hit the signboard and fell. “While two birds managed to fly again, four died on the spot,” he said.
Sunil Agarwal, an environmentalist who has been fighting to save wetlands says that the jetty has never been used after its inauguration. “The height of the sign board should have been reduced to shift to somewhere else as it comes in the path of the birds that come to the wetland behind DPS School, Nerul,” said Agarwal.
“This is a highly shocking incident, coming as it did on the eve of the world wetlands day,” said NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar who has been running a campaign to save the migratory bird habitats.
The huge arch type sign board on the jetty road is apparently a big hindrance as it has been erected in the bird path, Kumar pointed out and called for dismantling it immediately.
Kumar says that he has now written to the Chief Minister seeking his intervention to save the wetland and the biodiversity.
Sankhala says that citizen’s awareness is important to save the wetland, mangroves and flamingos. “Every citizen should raise a red flag if they come across an incident like flamingos drop dead,” she said.