Record-Breaking Number Of Flamingos Paint Mumbai Waters Pink, Thanks To The Lockdown

2020, so far, has been one of the most interesting years for humanity on Earth. In what sounds like a dystopian movie plot, humans are sitting inside their houses and wild animals are thriving in this seemingly human-less world.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the enforcement of lockdown in every major country. India has been under a nationwide lockdown since 25 March. got extended till 17 May.

We saw elephants breaking into a village in China, getting drunk on corn wine and then passing out for an impromptu nap in the same field. In Mumbai, numerous peacocks took to the streets with their characteristic dance, perhaps rejoicing the fact that humans are nowhere to be seen.

We also saw a record-breaking number of flamingos migrating to the wetlands near Nerul, Mumbai. Almost 1,50,000 birds flew down from Kutch, Gujarat as a part of their annual migratory pattern. The number is 25% more than previous years which can be attributed to the lack of human population in the vicinity due to the lockdown. The residents of the area were pleasantly surprised by the arrival of these birds and took to social media platforms to share the scene.

In an interview with the Times, the director of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) said that the lockdown “is giving these birds peace for roosting, no disturbance in their attempt to obtain food and overall encouraging habitat”.

Assistant director of the BNHS, Rahul Khot said that an increase in “domestic sewage” from people staying at home during the lockdown “is helping the undisturbed formation of planktons, algae and microbenthos formation, which forms the food for flamingos and other wetland birds.”

You may read the full article here.

Do you see that pink water in the middle of the lake? In a new twist of events, the Talawe wetland in Navi Mumbai witnessed a rare bloom of Red Algae resulting in Pink Water. The bloom has been identified as rare and first-of-its-kind occurrence for Mumbai Metropolitan Region by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). According to Pratik Chorge of Hindustan Times, the red algae is the result of the increased salinity of the water. The BNHS plans to take samples of the water to study the pink colour.

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