Mumbai spots like Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Airoli bridge are becoming these places for 'selfie with seagulls' trend.
As if feeding of human snacks to seagulls was not enough, animal rights activists are now worried about people luring birds with food and then even catching them for photographs.
Honorary Wildlife Warden (Mumbai city) Sunish Kunju who also heads NGO, Plants Animals Welfare Society (PAWS) wrote a letter to Mangrove Cell as well as Thane Forest department and Colaba police station after he witnessed a person catching a seagull and giving it to a tourist to get photographs clicked.
As per Kunju, the incident occurred last Friday around 7 am when he along with members of PAWS were carrying out awareness amongst people on not feeding seagulls human snacks at Gateway of India. “While we were bust setting up boards and talking to those who were feeding Sev and other snacks to the birds we spotted a man luring the gulls with some food and once the gull came to it, he immediately grabbed and caught it. Next he even gave it to a tourist to get images clicked with the gull,” he said adding that on spotting this he rushed towards the men shouting to release the birds and seeing him the man who had first caught the bird ran away, however by the meantime he had managed to click the image of the tourist holding the bird.
“I spoke to the tourist and explained him how what he was doing was illegal and animal cruelty, which he understood and apologised. My worry is that since these birds have now been habituated to such feeding they come very close to people feeding them and there are chances that people will catch them and begin taking selfies soon,” informed Kunju adding that hence he has written letters to authorities asking them to take action against such people under animal cruelty act and wildlife protection acts too.
Another animal right activist informed that catching the bird was actually very common. “I have seen people holding food in their hands and allowing birds to sit on their hands and feed and get photographs clicked. “It's becoming a trend across Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Airoli bridge and other places too. He added that people do not understand that though seagulls might look ‘cute’ birds they are extremely feisty and are even known to attack and they can leave people with deep wounds.
A senior Forest official said that they are trying to seek help from NGO’s and carry out awareness amongst people against not only feeding but also not catching or troubling the birds.
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