Garbage dumping in Bengaluru’s lakes turns fatal for Indian darters

Renuka Selvamani, a birder and bird photographer, has noticed a strange phenomenon at her regular haunt, Doddanekundi Lake. “I am seeing more cases of birds in distress,” she says, pointing out that the culprit is trash dumped by humans. The Oriental or Indian darter ( Anhinga melanogaste r), also known as the snakebird, a tropical water bird with a long, slender neck and a sharp, spear-like beak that it uses to impale fish, seems to be afflicted more than others, Renuka says.

“The darters are very sensitive because of their beaks, which get entangled in waste, such as the net used to pack onions,” explains Renuka, who works as a data scientist with the Expedia Group. She adds that when this happens, they cannot hunt or feed themselves, and end up starving to death. “I have seen three birds whose beaks have been tied like this,” she says.