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FLAMINGOS OF MUMBAI
For the past few years, Mumbai,
India has experienced increasing
numbers of flamingos visiting a
part of the city. Most seasons
record 20,000 to 40,000 of the
pink, long-legged visitors. But this
year, flamingo counts tally around
120,000.
The Bombay Natural History
Society monitor the flamingos who
arrive in the late fall and stay until
the end of May.
They believe the increased
populations flock to Thane Creek
because the area is a dumping
ground for untreated domestic
sewage and industrial waste. The
water treatment plant is especially
popular with the birds because the
waste here triggers the formation
of blue-green algae which turns
out to be the flamingos' favorite
food.
At some stage in the future the
pollution will have to be cleaned
up, but in the meantime the
residents of India's largest city and
many of its tourists enjoy the site
of these visitors.
WANT TO LAND HERE?
The Juancho E. Yrausquin
Airport has one of the shortest
runways in the world at 1,312 ft
(400 meters). It's way too short
for a jet to land and will only allow
small propeller aircraft landings.
Not only is it short but both ends
of the runway drop off into the sea
and on one side are high hills and
on the other a cliff edge.
Chances are that you will never
have to land there. But just so you
know, it is located on the island of
Saba in the Caribbean – an island
that belongs to the Netherlands
with a population just under
2,000.
The island is also home to a
potentially active volcano — Mount
Scenery.
Photo by Fyodor Borisov
Source: Mother Nature Network
Photo Source: Wikimedia: Harvinder
Chandigarh, Sewri Flamingo Point
STATEN ISLAND FERRY OCTOPUS ATTACK
Monuments and vaguely
descriptive plaques are
commonplace around cities and
heavily trafficked tourist areas,
giving just enough insight into
an historic event or landmark.
The Staten Island Ferry Disaster
Memorial blends in with these
weathered monuments, except
for the fact that all details on the
work are completely false. The
monument, which is located in
Battery Park, Manhattan, was
created by artist Joe Reginella
and honors the 400 victims who
perished during a giant octopus
attack of a Staten Island ferry
named the Cornelius G. Kolff on
November 22, 1963, the same
day as the assassination of JFK.
The elaborate hoax was six
months in the making, and
is also seen by Reginella as a
multimedia art project and
social experiment. The website,
and fliers distributed around
Manhattan by his team, give a
false location for a museum,
ironically a place you must get to
by ferry.
Source: www.thisiscolossal.com
48 • Off icialKidsMag.com MAY 2019
