Flamingos of Mumbai

For the past few years, Mumbai, India has experienced increasing numbers of flamingos visiting a part of the city. Most seasons record 20,000 to 40,000 of the pink, long-legged visitors. But this year, flamingo counts tally around 120,000.

The Bombay Natural History Society monitor the flamingos of Mumbai who arrive in the late fall and stay until the end of May.

They believe the increased populations flock to Thane Creek because the area is a dumping ground for untreated domestic sewage and industrial waste. The water treatment plant is especially popular with the birds because the waste here triggers the formation of blue-green algae which turns out to be the flamingos’ favorite food.

At some stage in the future the pollution will have to be cleaned up, but in the meantime the residents of India’s largest city and many of its tourists enjoy the site of these visitors.

Want to Land Here?

The Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport has one of the shortest runways in the world at 1,312 ft (400 meters). It’s way too short for a jet to land and will only allow small propeller aircraft landings. Not only is it short but both ends of the runway drop off into the sea and on one side are high hills and on the other a cliff edge.

Chances are that you will never have to land there. But just so you know, it is located on the island of Saba in the Caribbean – an island that belongs to the Netherlands with a population just under 2,000.

The island is also home to a potentially active volcano — Mount Scenery.

Staten Island Ferry Octopus Attack

Monuments and vaguely descriptive plaques are commonplace around cities and heavily trafficked tourist areas, giving just enough insight into an historic event or landmark. The Staten Island Ferry Disaster Memorial blends in with these weathered monuments, except for the fact that all details on the work are completely false. The monument, which is located in Battery Park, Manhattan, was created by artist Joe Reginella and honors the 400 victims who perished during a giant octopus attack of a Staten Island ferry named the Cornelius G. Kolff on November 22, 1963, the same day as the assassination of JFK.

The elaborate hoax was six months in the making, and is also seen by Reginella as a multimedia art project and social experiment. The website, and fliers distributed around Manhattan by his team, give a false location for a museum, ironically a place you must get to by ferry.

Check out more oddities and curiosities from around the world!