Navi Mumbai: Rare sea bird lesser noddy spotted in Nerul, dies

Lesser Noddy, a Maldivian sea bird

A Lesser Noddy, a Maldivian sea bird, seen rarely in India, was spotted on Sunday at Seawoods NRI complex in Navi Mumbai on Sunday, but the avian guest did not survive.

The bird, ‘Anous tenuirostris' for scientists, with a long beak was seen struggling, said NRI complex resident Deepak Rampal who got in touch with the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA).

The avian guest was taken to the WWA Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Manpada, Thane, nearly 30 km away. Unfortunately, the bird could not be saved, WWA's rescuers Sunpreet Sawardekar and Mayur Dalvi said.

"This calls for the urgency of commissioning the veterinary hospital in Navi Mumbai," said NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar who expressed concern over the recent death of several birds, including flamingos in Navi Mumbai.

The hospital building at JuiNagar, constructed at a cost of Rs 4 crore, has been ready for over three years but is not operational.

NMMC reportedly decided to appoint a consultant to make internal changes in the animal hospital, but NatConnect said the civic body could have contacted the neighbouring municipal corporations in Thane, Mumbai and Panvel or even the state veterinary department. It is shocking that the civic body of the City of the 21st century has not worked on the design aspect earlier and is now calling for consultants to make changes, Kumar regretted.

Apart from birds, several pets and stray animals fall sick, get injured in accidents and go medically unattended which is a sad situation, animal activist Jyoti Nadkarni said.

Meanwhile, BNHS has decided to take possession of the bird from the Forest Department for research.

Environment watchdog NatConnect pointed out that the UNDP has launched a Noddy conservation programme in Maldives.

Seabirds help fertilize the land by bringing important marine nutrients, according to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. The birds' presence helps plants and insect populations to grow, thereby helping the whole food chain, explains Vikash Tatayah of the foundation.

"A high density of seabirds on islands are also important to coral reefs, which they fertilize, and they contribute to the health of fisheries. Birds are also a major tourist attraction," says the UNDP website quoting Tatayah.

"These statements reinforce our concerted campaign to save flamingos and other migratory and local birds," Kumar added.