Teeming with thousands of red crabs, the beach of Baguran Jalpai in India’s eastern state of West Bengal could be mistaken from afar for a bed of roses.
The beautiful phenomenon is a welcome sight for Debasis Shyamal, president of the local fish workers’ trade union Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum. It’s only in the past two years that red crabs and other species like sand bubbler crabs have returned here on this scale, he says, following a campaign by locals to reclaim the sandy shore from tourists. ‘We fought hard to preserve the ecology here,’ Shyamal adds. In May 2023, the West Bengal government declared Baguran Jalpai, spanning over 7.5 kilometres, a biodiversity heritage site, thus prohibiting cars from entering the beach.
