Last call of the flamingo in Mumbai

This summer, if you’re a lover of flora and fauna make a trip to the Sewri mudflats and you’ll be rewarded with a lovely picture — pink graceful birds dotting the blue green algae that they feed on there. Say hello to flamingoes that make the area their home during this time. But the picture of serenity may well get distorted soon if enough isn’t done to save the habitat of the long-legged birds of migration.

Atul Sathe of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) reveals that though the Sewri mudflats and Mahul village in Chembur are polluted, these birds still come there and so it is crucial to protect their environment. “Flamingoes have few natural predators. Since they build their nests in the marshland it is difficult for jackals and other predators to get at their eggs. Their meat is also not edible by humans, thus the only threat is the environment. The problem is the Sewri mudflats are polluted due to the industrial activity there.”

The BNHS is hoping that more voices come forward in their efforts. “There is a proposal to build the Sewri-Nhava Trans Harbour Link that will go right in the middle of the flamingo feeding area. We have asked it to be shifted 500 metres to the South so that the area is rescued,” he says.

Naturalist Sunjoy Monga who has launched a campaign to save the pink bird is vociferous in his view. “At least 15,000-20,000 flamingoes come to the spot every year, as outside of Gujarat (where most flamingoes originally come from), this is their biggest areas.” The city has been having Flamingo Watch programmes with bird experts taking groups to view the birds with binoculars. How about embarking on one?