As many as four flamingos died after crashing into a metal signboard in the coastal area of Navi Mumbai, a forest official said on Friday, reported the PTI.

According to the PTI, the forest department has started an enquiry into the incident that took place at Nerul jetty, the official said.

The wetlands along the coast of Navi Mumbai are a well-known habitat for flamingos and attract birdwatchers. The migratory birds arrive on the shorelines of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai around December and are spotted till March.

Some locals found six flamingos lying motionless near a metal signboard installed near the jetty on Thursday morning, the official said.

Two birds managed to fly again, but four had died due to injuries, he said.

Officials from the forest department visited the spot and initiated an enquiry, he added.

Suspected spy pigeon released by Mumbai police after eight months

Meanwhile, a pigeon, suspected to be used by Chinese for spying and kept in the custody of a veterinary hospital in Mumbai has been released, a police official said on Wednesday, news wire PTI reported. The bird was freed on Tuesday after being caught eight months back. 

The Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals in Parel area on Monday sought the police`s permission to release the bird following which it was freed on Tuesday, the official from RCF (Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers) police station said.

As per PTI report, the pigeon was caught in May last year at Pir Pau Jetty in suburban Chembur by the RCF police. The bird had two rings – one of copper and another of aluminium – tied to its leg and messages written in a Chinese-like script on the underside of both its wings, the police said.

The RCF police then registered a case but after the inquiry was completed, the spying charge was dropped, he said.

During the probe into the case, the police found the pigeon used to take part in racing at the open waters in Taiwan and at one such event, it flew out of the country and landed in India, the official said.

The pigeon was freed by the hospital after the police gave a “no objection” for its release, he said, adding the bird`s medical condition was fine.

(with PTI inputs)

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