Kendrapada: A 14-foot-long saltwater crocodile, estimated to be around 20 years old, was found dead in the Brahmani river within Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park, officials said Wednesday.
The carcass was spotted floating in the river by locals Tuesday, who alerted forest officials, they said.
A forest team retrieved the male crocodile’s body and sent it to the veterinary office at Rajnagar for autopsy, Bhitarkanika Forest Range Officer Santanu Dalai said.
“The exact cause of the death will be known after the post-mortem is completed,” Dalai said.
Forest officials suspect that illegal fishing could be among the reasons for the animal’s demise, as they get entangled in nets and die from asphyxiation.
A seven-foot female saltwater crocodile, estimated to be around 10 years old, was found dead in the Hansua River near Gopalpur village within the park June 8.
Saltwater crocodiles are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, noted herpetologist and former state wildlife researcher Sudhakar Kar said.
Bhitarkanika is home to nearly 70 per cent of India’s estuarine or saltwater crocodile population.
The species has made a remarkable recovery here since a conservation programme was launched in 1975, with the population rising from 96 that year to 1,858 now, Kar added.
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