New crocodile habitat found in state

  • | Monday | 28th September, 2020

Kolkata: The state Forest department has stumbled upon what could be a new habitat for saltwater crocodiles at Nijkasba under Bajkul Range in East Midnapore district. The department officials are delighted as there has been no earlier history of crocodile in that area. In the last few days the department officials have found three crocodile hatchlings in the area each measuring 13-14 cm. So some of the crocodiles have migrated towards this place," said Vinod Kumar Yadav, state Chief Wildlife Warden. The saltwater crocodile inhabits coastal brackish mangrove swamps and river deltas.

Kolkata: The state Forest department has stumbled upon what could be a new habitat for saltwater crocodiles at Nijkasba under Bajkul Range in East Midnapore district. The department officials are delighted as there has been no earlier history of crocodile in that area. In the last few days the department officials have found three crocodile hatchlings in the area each measuring 13-14 cm. The last one was rescued on Saturday at Bagui river under the Patashpur Panchayat Samiti area. "We have been doing mangrove plantation for the last 25 years on the river bank where there is an occurrence of high tide and low tide. We feel that it has developed into a new habitat. So some of the crocodiles have migrated towards this place," said Vinod Kumar Yadav, state Chief Wildlife Warden. May to July is usually the breeding season of the crocodiles and each of them lay around 40 eggs that hatch in a span of 60 to 70 days. The department officials have found three hatchlings – two of which have been released in the river and one has been kept for observation. "We are trying to locate the bigger ones," said a senior official. The river on whose bank the hatchlings have been found is connected with Keleghai and Haldi river. The zone is the creek of the Hooghly river. The saltwater crocodile inhabits coastal brackish mangrove swamps and river deltas. In Bengal such crocodiles thrive best in the Sunderbans known for its mangrove cover. It is the largest living reptile known to science and males grow to a length of upto 20 feet.

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