Kendrapara: Hundreds of Estuarine crocodile hatchlings have started emerging from eggshells in Bhitarkanika National Park.
“It’s a treat to watch when baby crocodiles emerge out of eggshells and moving aimlessly before hopping into the water bodies of Bhitarkanika National Park. The forest department has engaged ground-level staff to keep a close watch on the baby crocodiles’ movement so that the reptiles do not fall prey to predators,” said Kanika forest ranger Akhaya Kumar Nayak.
The emergence of hatchlings that commenced since Thursday would continue at least for a week, he said, adding hatchlings are yet to emerge from the eggshells that were incubated artificially at Dangamala Crocodile Rearing Centre.
The forest personnel are optimistic that within two to three days, hatchlings would emerge from the artificially hatched eggshells, Nayak said.
Kanika forest range personnel have collected 42 eggs from wild nests lying vulnerable to tidal erosion at Saguna Chera. The eggs have been kept at the artificial hatchery in Dangamal.
Forest personnel of the national park have till date spotted 75 nests of estuarine crocodiles at Kanika, Mahakalapara and Rajnagar while 56 nests had been spotted last year, officials said.
Female crocodiles lay 50 to 60 eggs and the hatchlings usually emerge from the nests after 70 to 80 days of incubation period. However, hardly one out of every hundred baby crocodiles grows to become adult as their mortality rate is very high. In the wild, babies are devoured by predating aquatic animals.
The annual captive breeding of crocodiles’ eggs as part of ‘rear and release’ programme of these endangered species, has been suspended. The rear and release of these hatched reptiles has been going on since 1975, funded by the United Nations Development Programme and Food and Agriculture Organisation.
The conservation project undertaken in Bhitarkanika tasted success while a similar UNDP-funded ‘gharial croc’ conservation project launched simultaneously in Angul district’s Tikarpada Sanctuary was a failure.
The number of salt water crocodiles, the species not found in any other river system in the state, as per the latest census, in Bhitarkanika National Park stood at 1644. The park had been kept out of bounds for visitors to ensure disturbance-free annual nesting of crocodiles. The reptiles turn violent and restive when there is human interference in their habitat.
Restriction on entry to sanctuary was clamped from May 31 till July 31.
The internationally acclaimed Bhitarkanika Ramsar wetland site continues to be a congenial habitat of salt water crocodiles with the swampy mangrove-infested region housing the largest number of these reptiles.
The region is crisscrossed by innumerable water inlets, creeks and nullahs all forming the part of Bhitarkanika river system. PNN
