The Airoli sanctuary will likely be opened within the month
Pic/Naveena Mohan
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Expect to be tickled pink by the sight of thousands of flamingos at the soon-to-be-opened flamingo sanctuary at Airoli. Spanning across 50 sq metres of mangroves surrounding Thane creek, the sanctuary is in the final stages of completion, including ferry facilities that will give people a closer look at the pink birds in their natural surroundings.
N Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Forest (Mangroves Cell), confirmed, "The flamingo sanctuary is nearly complete and it will be thrown open to the public this month."
Sources from the Mangroves Cell said that the department has already written to the Chief Minister's Office, as they want CM Devendra Fadnavis to inaugurate the park.
The development of the environment-friendly infrastructure at the sanctuary has been going on for close to 18 months.
"The interesting fact is that the sanctuary, named as the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, will be Maharashtra's second marine sanctuary, after Malvan," said Vasudevan.
Know your flamingos
It should be noted that since 1994, Thane Creek has been attracting flamingos in large numbers. By November, more than 30,000 of these beautiful birds, along with their offspring, descend here and occupy the mudflats and bordering mangroves. They stay here till May, after which most of them migrate to Bhuj, Gujarat, for breeding, leaving a small resident population here. Almost 90% of the flamingo population consists of Lesser Flamingos, while the remaining are Greater Flamingos.
Eco-sensitive zone
While the sanctuary is located between the Airoli and Vashi bridges, the main gate is located at Airoli. The park will have a state-of-the-art Nature Interpretation Centre, where tourists can get information about the biodiversity of the area, including the number of bird species and marine creatures found there. There will also be a wooden platform spread across 700 metres, where the Mangroves Cell staff will patrol in the sanctuary.
On August 6, 2015, the Revenue and Forest Department of the state government issued a notification, declaring the northern part of Thane Creek as a wildlife sanctuary under Section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The eco-sensitive zone of the Sanctuary will be the adjoining mangrove areas on either side of the creek, which are already notified as Reserve Forests.
The 'Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit' under the Mangrove Cell will be responsible for the management of the Sanctuary.
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