Flamingo struggles for life,tells tale of pollution in mudflats

Dr Yuvraj Kaginkar,hospital manager of BSPCA,who is currently treating the flamingo,said,“It is possible that the bird was caught in a fight and injured itself. It was found in a very polluted part of the mudflat and it is possible that the bird was affected due to toxicity in the water.”

“When the flamingo was brought to us,it was emaciated and gasping. It has severe diarrhoea,bacterial infection and major bleeding from its mouth,” Kaginkar said.

He claimed that toxin in the soil and water of Sewri looked like the obvious cause of the bird’s malady. “The authorities should cordon off the areas of the Sewri mudflats where the flamingoes frequent,” he said,“Regular checks should be done to ensure that effluents are not released into the ecosystem.”

The flamingo is said to be in a critical stage as its two vital organs — kidney and liver — might have been damaged. In the following days,the hospital will do further tests on the bird,which is under observation for the next 48 hours.

BSPCA officials stated,“To know the exact level of toxicity,the water and soil from the Sewri mudflat need to be tested.”

In a similar incident,a Greater Flamingo was rescued by an employee of Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) and brought to the BSPCAhospital last year. In December 2007,the issue of flamingo poaching came to light when two animal enthusiasts caught a live footage of hunters shooting flamingoes near Uran,Navi Mumbai. While flamingo poaching is said to be still rampant,Kagnikar ruled out a possibility of poaching in this case. “The bird has no tell-tale sings poaching injuries,” he said.

The bird is currently being administered symptomatic therapy with saline,multi vitamin,minerals and antibiotics.