Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, January 04: The presence of a crocodile in the water bodies of a nallah in Madhupur village under Diglipur Tehsil has become a matter of grave concern for farmers of the village as well as for the reptile itself.
As per report, a crocodile was spotted in the nallah in Madhupur village about two months ago and which is still there posing threat to the village farmers and the residents.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha, Mr. Kamal Halder, a farmer of the village said that, since they need to irrigate their crops during this dry season, they have to set pumps in the nallah. But, it is dangerous to set the pump & hose pipe in the nallah as the croc may pounce on them at any time thereby taking their life. Besides, the vegetables like radish, sweet potato etc. are washed before taking them to bazaar for sale, but these farmers are in trepidation if the croco attack them while cleaning them in the nallah water, they rued.
When Andaman Sheekha team contacted the Forest Officials to know more details on the matter, the concerned Officials of the Forest Dept. said that they are seized of the situation thrown by crocodile’s presence in some pocket of a nallah in Madhupur village. Taking a precautionary measure, the staffs of the Forest Dept. placed two cages in the water bodies to catch the reptile and relocate it to its natural habitat.
However, the Forest Dept. hasn’t been successful in capturing the croc as yet, and as a result concerns are growing in the region; while offering suggestions, the villagers said that a live bait in the cage will reportedly work and the reptile may be easily trapped in the cage placed by Forest Staff. The residents also urged the Forest Dept. to capture and relocate the crocodile as soon as possible thereby safeguarding their lives.
Elaborating on the crocodile’s behavior, the Forest Officials further said that during mating season, these ancient animals can be vicious fighters as they compete to secure available females and territory. They may come away from the battle with missing legs or blinded eyes. And during this period, the defeated males take shelter to places away from their natural habitat; and this may be one of the reasons why because this crocodile has taken shelter in the nallah which flows through human habitation. On the other hand, the croc has been compromising with its food/prey as well since the day it deserted its territory, and it is not also a healthy sign for the displaced croc, the officials disclosed.
However, since the crocodile’s presence in a nallah in human habitation is undesirable, they are trying their level best to capture the croc and relocate the reptile to its natural habitat so as to eliminate the impending danger being posed by the croc, they further said.
