Video: Dolphins spotted off Mumbai coast amid COVID-19 lockdown

As nations continue to slide under the imposition of a lockdown, cities across the nation have come to a halt, owing to the Janta Curfew because of coronavirus. Amid this, video of dolphins, apparently swimming off Mumbai coast, have gone viral on social media. Mumbai, like several other places, had its roads deserted as the ones which were full of traffic, saw no vehicles on March 22 and no activities in the sea.

Dolphins skimming in Mumbai Coast

Some people are attributing the phenomenon to the lack of fishing activity, owing to the coronavirus outbreak. Maharashtra has been on a partial lockdown before the curfew began and people have already begun self-isolating themselves. Due to the non-functioning of factories and industries, the city witnessed a decline in air and sea pollution levels. Apparently, dolphins have been spotted just off the shore in Mumbai, which is not a usual sight. 

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Many Bollywood actors and some other people shared videos of dolphins skimming the waters of Mumbai on Twitter. Juhi Chawla posted the video saying "it seems dolphins were sighted just off the shore.”

Another viral video, apparently shot from the NCPA Apartments along the Arabia Seashore in south Mumbai, featured a pod of dolphins along the coast. "These dolphins, known as Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins are very much part of Mumbai's coastal line and have been spotted frequently in the last few years," said Shaunak Modi, co-founder of Coastal Conservation Foundation, an NGO documenting marine life of Mumbai.

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No significant or major fishing activity has taken place in Mumbai’s coast line in the last few days, owing to the growing concerns around COVID-19 outbreak. Coastal activities like that of ships have also been limited or restricted.

The coronavirus pandemic continues to spread fear among people.  In the past few weeks, countries around the world have moved to a complete lockdown situation, where people are being advised to stay indoors as much as possible to contain the contagion. This has forced people to distance themselves socially, as per reports.

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