A six-foot-long saltwater crocodile was safely rescued on Saturday after getting entangled in a fishing net in a submerged agricultural field in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, according to forest department officials.
The fishing net had been set up by a local fisherman to catch fish in the Rajnagar area. Upon discovering the trapped reptile early in the morning, the fisherman immediately alerted forest officials, who deployed a team to extract and rescue the crocodile, they said.
Forest personnel suspect the crocodile strayed into the flooded farmland from nearby waterways in search of prey.
The rescue has renewed long-standing anxieties among local residents regarding the frequent straying of estuarine crocodiles into villages bordering the Bhitarkanika National Park.
Sightings across regional rivers, drainage canals, and village ponds have become routine, creating widespread fear among villagers who depend on these water bodies and agricultural lands for their daily livelihoods.
“Every waterbody in the area is crocodile-infested. Venturing into a river to bathe is like risking one’s life. People are getting killed at regular intervals,” said Pradeep Kumar Das, a resident of Iswarpur village in Rajnagar tehsil.
Forest authorities stated that public awareness campaigns are actively underway across villages bordering high-risk zones, urging residents to exercise caution and refrain from entering unsafe waters.
Specialized teams of local fishermen are also being mobilized to safely deter and drive stray crocodiles away from residential areas using traditional techniques.
The saltwater crocodile count in the Bhitarkanika has surged from a mere 96 in 1975 to 1,858 today, with the wildlife sanctuary now home to roughly 70 per cent of India’s total estuarine crocodile population.
