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Mint
6 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Who was Sunjoy Monga? Mumbai's ‘bird man' passes away at 63 after battling blood cancer
Mumbai: Award winning wildlife photographer and veteran journalist Sunjoy Monga was to go birding in Lokhandwala this weekend. Unfortunately, he passed away on Wednesday, May 30, succumbing to a nine-year battle with blood cancer. Sunjoy Monga was 63-years-old. His death has left nature lovers and activists in deep shock. Apart from his award-winning photography, Sunjoy Monga also left his footprints in 'Bird Race' — an annual bird-spotting event that inspired the love of birds among hundreds of Mumbaikars over the years. In 2005, Monga launched Mumbai's first-ever bird race—an event that has since become an annual tradition known as 'Wings – Birds of India.' Monga's idea of launching a bird race was inspired by the Hong Kong bird race. As part of the Mumbai race, Monga invited birdwatchers to dedicate 12 hours to spotting as many bird species as possible. The inaugural race saw around 100 enthusiasts record 277 different species in and around Mumbai. Since then, Monga expanded the event to 33 cities across India, with the tradition still thriving today. As per experts, Sunjoy Monga started his bird-watching journey with other prominent names in the field such as Humayun Abdulali and Salim Ali. 'A great tree has fallen,' Pravin Subramanian, who organised the Bird Race with Monga since 2007, told HT. 'Back then, there were only two books for bird enthusiasts to follow. Monga filled this void by writing comprehensible books for all,' added the Bird Race co-organiser. Sunjoy Monga served for several years on the governing council of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), a testament to his deep-rooted expertise as a naturalist. Monga's knowledge and passion for the environment made him a valuable contributor to several key conservation bodies. The 63-year-old was also a member of the Executive Committee of the MMRDA's Environment Improvement Society, the Maharashtra Nature Park Society, and also held the honorary post of Warden at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Raju Kasambe, programme manager, lands, at The Nature Conservancy, an environmental organisation, told HT: 'At the end of each race, Sunjoy would put together an amusing presentation with a lot of takeaways. It took a lot of grit in the early years to put together a checklist of birds and hand it over to 30 groups, then analyse each sheet and the data, but he did it every year. A lot it has migrated to the e-bird app.'
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Mumbai loses its ‘bird man'
MUMBAI: 'Birds teach, they are always revealing some secret, they act as a barometer of the city's general health,' Sunjoy Monga had once told HT. He was to go birding in Lokhandwala this weekend,' said Ravi Vaidyanathan, his friend and partner in his lifelong obsession. It's a date he couldn't keep, for on Wednesday evening, Monga, 63, succumbed to a nine-year battle with blood cancer. An award-winning wildlife photographer and author of several books on nature and birds, Monga was a beloved son of Mumbai. His advocacy for the natural world saw him write a regular column for HT titled 'Mumbai Safari'. He will also be remembered for his 'Bird Race', an annual bird-spotting event that inspired a love of birds in hundreds of Mumbaiites over the years. He's also left a treasure trove of writing for birders. 'A great tree has fallen,' said Pravin Subramanian, who organised the Bird Race with Monga since 2007. 'Monga started his bird-watching journey with legends like Humayun Abdulali and Salim Ali. Back then, there were only two books for bird enthusiasts to follow. Monga filled this void by writing comprehensible books for all.' Deepak Apte, former head of BNHS, said, 'I met Monga in the early '90s, when he led nature trails for the BNHS. He introduced us to the world of scientific bird watching, teaching us to identify birds and listen to bird sounds.' Bittu Sahgal, founder-editor of conservation magazine 'Sanctuary Asia', remembered Monga fondly as a 'crack birder-naturalist'. Speaking about Monga's time between 1990 and 1994 as associate editor at the magazine, Sahgal said, 'Sunjoy was viscerally a part and parcel of 'Sanctuary Asia' magazine at its very start, and a key reason we were able to navigate our way through the science and interpretation of the counterintuitive world of wildlife conservation and natural history. Together, we almost convinced Sir David Attenborough to shoot a few sequences of 'Life on Earth' in India in the early 1980s!' Monga organised Mumbai's first bird race in 2005. It's an exercise he organised annually - now known as 'Wings - Birds of India' - and took to 33 other Indian cities. Inspired by the Hong Kong bird race, Monga called upon all birdwatchers to set aside 12 hours, keeping their eyes peeled for avians of all species. During the first race, 100-odd enthusiasts sighted 277 species of birds in and around Mumbai – and the legacy continues to this day. 'I joined as a participant in the third bird race and have been one of the organisers for the last seven,' said Vaidyanathan. 'Back then, we would jot all our findings in log books and Sunjoy would compile the data. It was Sunjoy who highlighted the death of the wetlands in Uran, where around 12 years ago we were able to spot 60-70 bird species in an hour. Today, even Lokhandwala Lake, in his backyard, is rapidly losing its winged visitors.' Raju Kasambe, programme manager, lands, at The Nature Conservancy, an environmental organisation, remembered, 'At the end of each race, Sunjoy would put together an amusing presentation with a lot of takeaways. It took a lot of grit in the early years to put together a checklist of birds and hand it over to 30 groups, then analyse each sheet and the data, but he did it every year. A lot it has migrated to the e-bird app.' In 2007, Monga launched another project close to his heart. Called 'Young Rangers', it was a training programme that introduced school children to the wild and sensitised them to the environment. It wound up a few years later but is fondly remembered. Monga was a member of the governing council of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) for several years. Like many naturalists, Monga's expertise was much sought-after. He was a part of the Executive Committee of the MMRDA's Environment Improvement Society, Maharashtra Nature Park Society and honorary Warden of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. 'Birds were his driving force,' recalled Yuhina Monga, his daughter. 'His terminal illness did not deter him from going bird watching. He would frequently go with his camera by the Lokhandwala Lake and capture birds. In particular, he had a special connection with owls and would collect figurines of different species from all over the world and keep them on display.'
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- General
- The Hindu
On the tail of a tagged Curlew sandpiper
When a wintering bird doubles back to its breeding grounds to attend to the visceral business of procreation, it becomes essentially 'unreachable' for the human friends it has made in its wintering grounds. It is impossible to keep tabs on the bird. One only knows its vast breeding range, which could straddle countries. It would be easier to find a needle in a haystack than trace this bird. Birder Jithesh Babu is engaged in an exercise of this kind: he is trying to trace the address of a curlew sandpiper (he made friends with, on April 18, 2025 at Kelambakkam backwaters). Jithesh would likely succeed in this effort; he is not playing blind man's buff. The curlew sandpiper (found in its breeding plumage and likely to be around in its wintering grounds for some more time) is wearing a tag. A bird with a tag usually has a recorded history to fall back on. In a couple of days, Jithesh is likely know where exactly the Curlew sandpiper would go. The tagged Curlew sandpiper having crossed his 150-600 mm telephoto lens, he has a photo of the creature, which he has sent to Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) along with a request for information about it. And Jithesh knows what exactly to expect. Around the same time four years ago — April 21, 2021 — he found a tagged flimingo at Pallikaranai marshland and he wrote to BNHS seeking information, and in response, Tuhina Katti, a scientist with the Wetlands Programme, BNHS, wrote back to him: 'From the combination on the tag, it appears to be 'AAP'. This individual was tagged in Panje, Navi Mumbai (on the outskirts of Mumbai) on 24 September 2018. It was resighted in Chennai in August 2020 and since then it has been resighted in Sholinganallur on a couple more occasions. It is interesting that the bird was still present there in April.' Jithesh remarks: 'As this happened at the height of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the response took some time. Usually, it is prompt with a turnaround time of just two days.'
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
34 endangered vultures bred in Pinjore get new home in Maharashtra
In a significant boost to India's vulture conservation programme, 34 critically endangered vultures – 20 long-billed and 14 white-rumped – were successfully transferred from the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC) in Pinjore, to Maharashtra on Tuesday, coinciding with World Earth Day. The birds are destined for reintroduction into the wild across three key sites: Melghat, Pench, and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserves. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), in a statement, said the birds were being transferred from the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre in Pinjore to Maharashtra, where they will be reintroduced to the wild. The transfer marks a significant step in reviving critically endangered vulture populations in central India. According to the statement, vultures, aged between two to six years, were chosen following comprehensive health checks to ensure their fitness for release into the wild. The birds were carefully distributed across all three locations to maintain ecological balance, support successful breeding in the wild and ensure a balanced sex ratio at each site, it said. The vultures were transported in individual wooden boxes, one bird per box, to minimise stress and ensure safety during the journey, and they were fed two days in advance as per standard protocol. The birds were moved in three air-conditioned tempo travellers to maintain optimal temperature and ventilation throughout the transit, it stated. The team was led by Rundan Katkar, RFO, Kolsa, TATR, and supported by veterinarian Dr Mayank Barde from PTR, Manan Mahadev, senior biologist, BNHS, and two forest guards. Chief Wildlife Wardens of Haryana and Maharashtra, Vivek Saxena and Srinivasa Rao and BNHS Director Kishor Rithe monitored and guided the entire operation. The BNHS has set up the four Jatayu conservation breeding centres in the country, at Pinjore, Bhopal, Rajabhatkhawa (West Bengal) and Rani, Guwahati (Assam). The Maharashtra forest department has set up three pre-release aviaries in three tiger reserves in Vidarbha to follow the protocol for soft release. The birds are expected to reach their respective aviaries in two days.
Time of India
22-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
34 vultures to be translocated to Vidarbha tiger reserves
Nagpur: Maharashtra's forests will be home to 34 endangered vultures, courtesy the Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC) in Pinjore, Haryana. On World Earth Day, these endangered vultures were brought to Maharashtra under a rewilding initiative and will be released in three different forest reserves of Vidarbha. According to Kishore Rithe, director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), this group of vultures include 20 long-billed and 14 White-rumped vultures. They will be translocated into three tiger reserves of Vidarbha — Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, and Pench. "The transfer on April 22 represents a crucial initiative to restore central India's critically endangered vulture populations. The selected birds, ranging from two to six years-olds, underwent thorough health assessments to confirm their suitability for wild release," Rithe said. The translocation includes five vultures earmarked for the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, 14 for the Pench Tiger Reserve, and 15 for the Melghat Tiger Reserve. While Tadoba and Pench received vultures in the first phase of the project, the endangered birds will be introduced in Melghat for the first time. The translocation across these three locations will help to maintain a balanced sex ratio and support natural breeding and ecological equilibrium. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click Here - This Might Save You From Losing Money Expertinspector Click Here Undo Individual wooden boxes were used to transport each vulture, ensuring minimal stress and optimal safety. Following standard procedures, feeding was suspended two days before transportation. The birds were transported in an air-conditioned vehicle which provided suitable temperature and ventilation conditions. Range forest officer (RFO) Rundan Katkar from Kolsa, TATR led the team, supported by PTR veterinarian Dr Mayank Barde, BNHS senior biologist Manan Mahadev, and two forest guards from TATR and PTR. The operation received guidance from Haryana's chief wildlife warden Vivek Saxena, Maharashtra's chief wildlife warden & PCCF (wildlife) Srinivasa Rao and BNHS director Kishor Rithe. BNHS manages four Jatayu conservation breeding centres nationwide, partnering with state govts in Pinjore, Bhopal, Rajabhatkhawa and Rani, Guwahati. Since 2004, this programme has successfully bred over 700 birds with support from various governmental and conservation organizations. Maharashtra's forest department established pre-release aviaries in three Vidarbha region tiger reserves for soft release protocol implementation. The birds are scheduled to arrive at their respective aviaries within two days. Field directors Prabhunath Shukla (TATR), Kishor Mankar (PTR) and Adarsh Reddy (MTR) supervised aviary preparations. Deputy conservator of forests Anand Reddy (TATR), Bharat Hada (PTR), and N Jeykumaran (MTR) coordinated the birds' safe transport to Maharashtra. (Inputs by Mazhar Ali)
