By Thousands of flamingos have taken over a stream in Mumbai, India, as the population remains in isolation because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although difficult, the isolation on account of the new coronavirus has brought some positive advantages after humans have to stay indoors. With far fewer people in sight, there have been multiple reports of animals taking over cities and venturing into urban areas they would normally avoid. But this weekend, Mumbai got a special treat – a bigger-than-usual extravaganza of migrating pink flamingos in the Navi Mumbai creek.
Since 1980, large numbers of pink flamingos have migrated to Mumbai, India, between October and March to feed.
This year, however, the population appears to have increased. Mumbai residents say they have witnessed greater numbers of flamingos in Thane Creek and images shared on social media show hundreds of thousands of birds.
Photo: ©Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times/Getty Images
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) estimates that 150,000 flamingos made the migratory journey to Mumbai this year, an increase of 25% from last year. Environmentalists don't have a definitive reason for the increase in numbers, but speculate that reduced human activity could have led to more favorable conditions, with the city closed since March 25.
Every year, flamingos arrive in Mumbai from Kutch, Gujarat, and Lake Sambhar, Rajasthan, in northwest India. Smaller numbers are believed to fly from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Israel, and even France, according to the BNHS.
Photo: Hindustan Times / Contributor
Photo: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images
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