Video of dolphins returning to filthy Mumbai creek goes viral in India: ‘This could be a common sight’

A rare sight of dolphins splashing and playing close to shore in the seawaters of the Indian megacity Mumbai has stunned locals, with video of the incident being shared widely online. 

The video clip recorded from the creek of Vashi on the outskirts of Mumbai shows three dolphins, one adult and two juveniles, leaping in the water one after another. The video was first posted by Sanjay Jog, a local resident, on Wednesday and has since then been reposted repeatedly. 

Dolphins are an annual sight in the Arabian Sea off India’s west coast, but it has become very rare in recent years for them to be spotted so close to Mumbai’s shores, with sporadic sightings making waves.

Last month another dolphin sighting video went viral after environmentalist Zoru Bhathena shared a video where an Indian Ocean humpback dolphin was spotted at the city’s Juhu beach.  A few other sightings were also widely celebrated during the initial coronavirus lockdown in the country, near Mumbai’s iconic Marine Drive and Malabar hills. 

And many commenting online asked whether the ongoing impacts of lockdown on industry and the environment could play a role in the increased number of sightings.

"This could be a common sight for all to enjoy if we humans (and Indians specifically) as a species could just clean up our act," Twitter user Sachin D said. 

Shardul Bajikar wrote: “A large part of this creek was declared a #flamingo #sanctuary some years back and look at it now. Timely protection to #wilderness areas result in miraculous recoveries for #wildlife.”

“Awesome... lockdown showed us things we couldn’t have ever imagined. Hope it remains this way,” another user said. 

Several suggested that the sightings could be a result of decreased human activity along the sea shores and reduced contamination in the water due to coronavirus restrictions. 

Mumbai’s seawater and beaches remain stubbornly highly polluted despite multiple clean-up drives and demands for action by concerned citizens. 

The situation is greatly exacerbated by the flow of untreated sewage from the city and its surrounds into the Arabian Sea. The dumping of plastic rubbish in the sea has become a killer for aquatic life and is also affecting the marine food chain. 

Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) are a protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of India. The species is also listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.