Panaji: In a case of reckless driving on the beach on Monday, a SUV with registration of a south Indian state ran into a flock of brown-headed gulls at Arossim, crushing two of them and nearly hitting a tourist warden.
The brazen act revealed once again the chaotic situation on the state’s coastline, as several similar incidents have been reported in the past few months.
In the matter reported to Goa marine wildlife stranding network, the vehicle suddenly appeared on the stretch.
“Despite the pleas of the lifeguard, the vehicle raced into the flock. One bird died instantly while the other injured one gasped for a short while dying,” a source said.
A tourist warden deployed on the beach also tried to stop the vehicle, as the driver later kept circling at the spot, and almost ran over him. “The warden had to jump into the water to escape being knocked down by the vehicle,” the source said.
The vehicle then sped away along the beach and disappeared from the scene.
“It is high time the authorities recognise that the beach is an ecosystem and implement better policing and monitoring to ensure that wildlife is not endangered by irresponsible tourist behaviour,” co-ordinator of the stranding network, Puja Mitra, said.
An increase in footfalls and noise has resulted in a decline in the number of bird flocking to some spots on beaches. Shore birds forage on molluscs and other organisms that surface during low tide. Hence, vehicles on the beach are likely to disturb their feeding activities,” president of Goa Bird Conservation Network, Mandar Bhagat, said. The government should confiscate the vehicle and initiate strict action against the driver, he added.
The brazen act revealed once again the chaotic situation on the state’s coastline, as several similar incidents have been reported in the past few months.
In the matter reported to Goa marine wildlife stranding network, the vehicle suddenly appeared on the stretch.
“Despite the pleas of the lifeguard, the vehicle raced into the flock. One bird died instantly while the other injured one gasped for a short while dying,” a source said.
A tourist warden deployed on the beach also tried to stop the vehicle, as the driver later kept circling at the spot, and almost ran over him. “The warden had to jump into the water to escape being knocked down by the vehicle,” the source said.
The vehicle then sped away along the beach and disappeared from the scene.
“It is high time the authorities recognise that the beach is an ecosystem and implement better policing and monitoring to ensure that wildlife is not endangered by irresponsible tourist behaviour,” co-ordinator of the stranding network, Puja Mitra, said.
An increase in footfalls and noise has resulted in a decline in the number of bird flocking to some spots on beaches. Shore birds forage on molluscs and other organisms that surface during low tide. Hence, vehicles on the beach are likely to disturb their feeding activities,” president of Goa Bird Conservation Network, Mandar Bhagat, said. The government should confiscate the vehicle and initiate strict action against the driver, he added.