Shahjahanpur: After three crocodiles were run over by vehicles in Lakhimpur Kheri district, the forest department has marked Nighasan- Dhakerwa state highway as a ‘crocodile sensitive area’ and have installed signboards on the stretch to attract the attention of commuters to drive carefully. Two crocodiles were recently run over near Rakehti village and this particular stretch of 1 km is considered extremely sensitive due to the presence of a canal.Officials said that since April 1 this year, forest department has rescued eight Indian Mugger crocodiles from human habitat. In 2018, the department has completed over two dozen rescue operations and has saved tigers, leopards, crocodiles, turtles, among others.“There is a rich population of Indian Mugger crocodiles in Sharda and Ghaghra rivers that flow through Lakhimpur district. During monsoon, several river streams are formed and crocodiles move out of the main river through these streams. To ensure that no damage is causes to both animals and humans, forest department has shared an emergency contact number with the heads of all villages,” divisional forest officer (north) Anil Patel said.“It was observed that vehicles are generally over-speeding on Nighasan-Dhakerwa highway which leads to crocodiles being run over. This is why we have installed sign boards of ‘crocodile sensitive area’ advising drivers to exercise caution or they may have to face action under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. We have also asked local residents to help us in protecting wildlife and provide us details of the erring vehicle in case of an accident,” Patel added.“Ideally, CCTV cameras should be installed at sensitive points inside forest areas as that would help officials in identifying the vehicle that runs over an animal. It would also help in keeping an eye on poachers and timber mafias,” said Arjun Singh, a local resident.

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