The Basai Wetland in Gurgaon has a tendency of springing surprises every now and then. Today when I visited the wetland I was in for a surprise as right there on the path was a giant monitor lizard of a most colorful kind. measuring a bit more than one and a half feet, it was lying on its side, perhaps, it had been attacked by a large bird, or had been hit by a moving vehicle. Another surprise sighting was a colourful Strawbery Finch bird. I have pasted the photograph below.
I did as a child see lots of monitor lizards close to my home in Arba Minch Ethiopia but then they were not as colourful as this one was. I wonder how much more beautiful this lizard would have been had it been alive. Unfortunately, no one seems to be bothered about preserving the Basai Wetland for posterity. Today as always there were people who were chasing away the Cormorants that were trying to land on the surface to hunt for fish. It was a disappointment for me especially because I wanted to photograph these birds actually diving for the catfish. I wonder with a bit of anger why the authorities are deliberately allowing this treasure trove of flora and fauna to be destroyed, that too with impunity! Wonder if there are not educated people who will take up the cause of protecting the wetland before it is swallowed whole by land sharks and greedy good doers.
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