Mumbai: 36 flamingos killed after Emirates flight hits them; suffers damages

A hit by an Emirates flight caused the death of at least 36 flamingos over the Laxmi Nagar area of Pantnagar in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar on Monday night.

A Mumbai airport source told HT that EK 508, an Emirates flight, reported a bird hit on arrival at 9.18pm. The flight, which suffered damages, landed safely at Mumbai airport.

Additional chief conservator of forests (Mangrove protection cell) SY Rama Rao said 36 bodies of flamingos were found in this area and a search has been launched to find out if more flamingos are killed. He said they were hit by a flight, and a search has been launched for more affected flamingos.

Mangrove protection cell’s deputy conservator Deepak Khade said, “The airport authorities have confirmed to us about the bird strike. This has happened closer to Laxmi Nagar (northern end of Ghatkopar East).”

Prashant Bahadure, range forest officer of the mangrove protection cell, said, “I went to the airport, but they didn’t allow me entry. The airport authorities have told us these flamingos were hit by an Emirates flight. We got a call from the local residents and the incident may have happened between 8.40 pm to 8.50 pm and our team was on spot at 9.15 pm.’’

Environmentalist D Stalin on NGO Vanshakti said, “What caused the birds to fly into the aeroplane, etc. are being investigated. My theory is the new power lines through the sanctuary area are causing disorientation to the birds. It should have never been permitted… Alternate routes were many. While giving permissions for power lines(earlier, it was not allowed inside sanctuaries) the wildlife board meekly surrendered to the power company. Instead, the Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary was bulldozed and towers erected.”

Stalin claimed that it is also possible that the CIDCO, which started this theory of bird-hit danger to Navi Mumbai airport, has an indirect connection to this accident. “Wetlands in NRI complex area and TS Chanakya lakes are the home to flamingo flocks. Since last month, efforts have been made to disturb the birds there and get the water bodies to be brought under construction. If someone or some people had chased the birds out at night , the flocks might have attempted to fly towards Thane Creek and, in the process, met with the accident,” he said.