Wildlife lover send forest dept after Vasai's suspected flamingo killer

A screenshot of a Facebook post showing the culprit holding his air gun

Migratory birds in a city like Mumbai, which is slowly turning into a concrete jungle, is a remarkable sight for wildlife enthusiasts, one of whom warned about a hunter on the prowl in the Vasai-Virar area. Locals in Umela spotted an unidentified man allegedly shooting migratory birds with an air gun recently.

Thousands of migratory birds, including Greater and Lesser flamingos, and storks, arrive at the wetlands of Vasai-Virar, thronged by birdwatchers. One wildlife enthusiast recently posted a picture on Facebook of the man with the air gun, standing near his yellow car, at Umela. He claimed the man has been hunting migratory birds in the region. The Vasai Local Facebook group had later shared the post, which has gone viral.

Concerned individuals then reported the matter to the Thane Forest Department (Territorial). "I was shocked to see the post about a hunter allegedly shooting flamingos; and what's more shocking is the fact that this is happening in broad daylight. The post has been shared with the forest department and we expect a strict action against this man," a nature lover told mid-day on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Forest Officer Kushagra Pathak from Mandvi Range told mid-day that they have recovered meat and the air gun during a raid at the man's house. "On Tuesday, we received the picture of a person with the air gun. Based on the vehicle registration number, we raided the car owner's house and collected some meat samples, which have been sent to lab for testing. The person in the photo is a 43-year-old man from Vasai and the air gun belongs to his father-in-law. We would like to appeal to the people in Vasai to share with us any pictures, if they have, of the person shooting birds," Pathak said.

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