Mumbai Sea Appears Pink After More Than 150,000 Flamingos Flock To The Lockdown City

By Andrea Powell

Proper greatergood_ctg_belowtitle

With the world on lockdown and people told to stay at home, wild animals are taking over the empty cities and parks. Wild horses are running free through the slopes of a vacant ski resort in Spain, fish are swimming in Venice canals, lions are sunbathing on deserted roads, and thousands of flamingos are flocking to Mumbai.

More than 150,000 flamingos flocked to the vacant city of Mumbai, turning the sea pink. While flamingos migrate to the area every year to feed and mate, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) estimates a 25% increase in their numbers due to lower human activity.

Photo: Instagram/@travelandleisureindia

India mandated a countrywide lockdown in March that ordered over 1 billion people to stay at home. Mumbai metropolitan region is usually a bustling place full of people, but now the flamingos are thriving in the tranquil environment.

Photo: Instagram/flamingosofmumbai

“The lockdown is giving these birds peace for roosting, no disturbance in their attempt to obtain food, and overall encouraging habitat,” Deepak Apte, BNHS director, told the Hindustan Times.

Photo: Instagram/flamingosofmumbai

Researchers were not able to officially count the birds due to the lockdown, but used a grid technique to estimate the number, which they believe is over 150,000. Once the lockdown is over, the team plans on performing a more precise count.

Meanwhile, residents are enjoying the pink display and posting photos and videos of the beautiful birds. Bird photographer, Vidyasagar Hariharan, has an Instagram page that is appropriately named @flamingosofmumbai. He hopes to raise awareness through his beautiful photos and save the wetlands. “With the lockdown, people seem to be noticing the pink beauties. Hope that this continues and not merely remains a lockdown phenomenon,” he wrote.

Photo: Instagram/flamingosofmumbai

“Among the huge flocks are two different species – greater flamingos and lesser flamingos. Greater flamingos are taller and their plumage is more white than pink. Lesser flamingos are shorter and are more pink in color,” posted brainwing_india along with a mesmerizing video of the flamingos.

View this post on Instagram

Flamingos are migratory birds who migrate to Mumbai every year between the months of October and March. They are mostly spotted near the creeks and wetlands around Navi Mumbai. Among the huge flocks are two different species – greater flamingos and lesser flamingos. Greater flamingos are taller and their plumage is more white than pink. Lesser flamingos are shorter and are more pink in colour According to Bombay Natural History Society around 1,50,000 flamingos visited the Mumbai Metropolitan Region this year. It is 25% higher as compared to last year. This increase in number is mainly being attributed to the successful breeding of flamingos in 2018, which has resulted in large flocks of juveniles visiting this year The nationwide lockdown has also clearly contributed to this mass migration. The reduction in pollution along with the improvement in the quality of algae have attracted the unusually large number of flamingos These flamingoes have come from Italy, Greece, Spain, France and Africa. The numbers have increased by almost a third when compared to normal #aerialphotography #mumbai #flamingo #flamingos #incredibleindia #incredible #mumbaiflamingos #mumbaidiaries #mumbaiuntold #mumbaiuncensored #mumbaimerijaan #_soimumbai #wassupmumbai #wildlife #wildlifephotography #birdsofinstagram #birds #birdstagram #wildlifeonearth #wildlifeofindia #dronephotography #drone #dronestagram #dji @narendramodi @incredibleindia @maharashtratourismofficial

A post shared by BrainWing (@brainwing_india) on

BNHS hopes people will realize the importance of the wetlands and preserve them for flamingos and many other animals that call the area home.

A local resident, Sunil Agarwal, said, “Residents are cooped up at home spending their mornings and evenings at their balconies taking photographs and videos of these relaxed birds. The lockdown will at least prompt people to focus on what is around them, which they had been taking for granted, and hopefully this site will be declared a flamingo sanctuary soon.”

Check out all the beautiful flamingos in the video below and don’t forget to share!

Wild Horses Have A Blast Running Through Empty Ski Resort In Spain: Click “Next” below!

Andrea Powell
Andrea Powell is an animal enthusiast that resides in West Michigan. When not writing, she is exploring the great outdoors with her dogs and horses.
Proper greatergood_ctg_belowcontent