India may be in lockdown, but flocks of flamingos are making the most of the peace and quiet. Tens of thousands of birds have flocked to Mumbai, with photographs of the flamingos circulating on social media.
According to Rahul Khot, assistant director at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which monitors movements of the flamingos, the birds usually migrate to the area for feeding from September to the end of May.
Flamingos are flocking in Mumbai amidst the nationwide coronavirus lockdown / Image: Indranil Mukherjee
BNHS had counted 125,000 flamingos before India’s coronavirus lockdown measures interrupted the work. Last year a record 134,000 flamingos were counted in the area, but Khot believes a new record will be set this year.
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It is not just the huge number of the birds drawing public attention, but the fact that flamingos have also spread to wetlands where they were previously a rare sight.
They are being reported from places where they have earlier been reported less in number because there is no human activity there now.
Khot said.
Removal of human interference from the environmental course has bestowed a wonderful opportunity for wildlife to blossom.
Several news reports of curious sightings of various animals, exploring empty towns and cities have been recorded throughout the world. The phenomenon has been especially notable in India as the country’s normally crowded urban areas and high levels of pollution are now rarely seen.
India has been under lockdown for over a month now. People are quarantined in their houses; transportation has been shut down and only essential services are operational.
Many other animals have been benefitted from the nationwide lockdown, including monkeys, which have descended on Delhi in great numbers, and dolphins, which have been spotted in the Ganges River for the first time in years.
Via: CNN