Ahmedabad: The dead flamingos found in Venasar village were not the work of some desperately poor man’s attempt to feed his family. Given the fact that such a large number of birds were killed just before December 31, government officials fear that the massacre was ordered for a party to ring in the New Year. Someone apparently wanted to impress his guests by serving flamingo meat as a delicacy. Officials have arrested two people from the area, who are suspected to be involved in the poaching. They have found meat with the men that the forensicteam isexamining. Forest officials rushed to Venasar in the Little Rann of Kutch on Wednesday after TOI reported that wildlife activists had found 33 severed heads and legs of lesser flamingos there. They found heads of another 31 flamingos, taking the toll to 64. The team included forensic experts and principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) S K Goyal. Gujarat forests and environment secretary S K Nanda said according to forensic experts, the flamingos were killed about a week ago. “The poaching took place just before December 31,” he said. “Villagers don’t seem to have eaten the birds. The meat could have been used for New Year celebrations in a neighbouring district.” Sources added that there are a number of farmhouses notfar from Venasar. The team has also found nets and poles apparently used to trap the flamingos. Most of the remains were dumped on the nearby coast in the hope that these would be washed away in the high tide. However, the poachers were not as lucky as the remains were strewn by the seaside when the officials reached there. They addedthatthedeadbirdswere cleaned up before being transported so that,if caught,the poacherscould pass off the meat as chicken. Flamingo havens in the state should be protected Esther David It came as a shock to read the story about the mass massacre of flamingos in the Little Rann of Kutch. Looking at the photograph, one cannot help but think about hedonistic Roman emperors, who relished flamingo meat, which was served as a delicacy, with a separate platter for the bird’s brain and tongue! The Roman cooks, fattened the bird on a diet of shrimps, so that the meat had a rose-pink colour. Flamingo meat is a mix between chicken and duck, as it is tender and has a pink colour, as the bird lives on crustaceans, shrimps, worms, larvae, seeds of marsh plants and organic ooze, according to famed ornithologist Salim Ali. The Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden of Ahmedabad has had a long record of breeding flamingos in captivity. It all started, because of Nal Sarovar. In the mid-60s, it was well-known that the people living around the lake were expert bird-catchers. They captured the birds, broke their long legs and sold an Indian-style-Flamingo meat curry with rotlas to tourists. In those days, my father Reuben David did not have flamingos at the zoo. On a trip to Nal Sarovar, much to his horror, he was offered flamingo curry. He refused and negotiated with them, that he would pay twice as much if they gave him live birds without broken legs. They agreed and father started a campaign to save the water birds. He bought trapped birds and took care of their injuries. Slowly, the people who captured the birds sent a message to the zoo, that they had a large consignment and a vehicle was sent to transport them. Around this time, a female Flamingo decided to make her nest in the aviary at the zoo. Like an architect she made a dome-like mound with wet earth in shallow water, giving the nest a conical shape with her curved beak and artistically made a depression in the center, in which she laid an egg. She hatched it and at the end of the month, the first flamingo chick was born in the zoo, looking very beautiful with its red beak, trying to balance itself on its wobbly thin legs and flapping its tiny wings. Later, it multiplied into a huge flock and the zoo created a world record of breeding flamingos in captivity. Today, rules of wildlife conservation have changed. So, what could be done in the 60’s may not be possible. It is also known that there are other reasons behind the hunting of flamingos; as its meat is in demand for those who can afford it. It is heart breaking to even imagine the reason of the massacre of the lesser flamingos in the Little Rann of Kutch. We are no animal conservationists to advice, but, maybe forest officals and zoo authorities can put their heads together and the people living in these areas could be requested to save these birds. Maybe, even inform zoo authorities and send injured birds to them, so that the birds can find a new home and give a fresh new blood strain to captive flamingos. Maybe, decisions will be made by the state government, as the debate for and against zoos continues. Till then, let us not destroy the haven of our winged visitors. According to reliable sources, Indian zoos are always in search of flamingos. If an injured bird is provided to any zoo in time, it will accept it and take care of it.