Teen who killed heron bird on Mumbai flyover nabbed

MUMBAI: Acting swiftly on the complaint of film actor Sayaji Shinde who had witnessed a group of unruly boys harming birds with catapults from top of the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd flyover, the forest officials have nabbed a 15-year-old boy who was video-recorded holding an injured heron.
Mumbai range forest officer, Rakesh Bhoir, told TOI: "The incident occurred on June 21, after the actor (Shinde) had stopped his car on the bridge and recorded a video. We spoke to the local police and managed to identify and nab the juvenile offender. He has been booked under various sections of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, since the heron species is protected under Schedule IV."
Bhoir further added that the boy was produced before a court and ordered to be kept at the Umarkhadi children's home till July 4.
Dr Nandini Kulkarni, an activist appointed by the high court to monitor animal welfare in the state, said: "I thank the forest and police authorities for acting quickly on this serious issue of coastal birds being harmed from top of a busy flyover. This could have also endangered the boys as well as motorists or pedestrians walking underneath the flyover, as the juveniles were throwing stones from catapults. Actor Sayaji Shinde has also shown sensitivity over this disturbing issue."
Shinde had earlier told TOI that it was quite upsetting the way the boys were brazenly shooting the low flying birds, and then taking away an injured heron.