12-foot-long crocodile caged after scary encounter in Traj lake

VADODARA/ ANAND: Wildlife volunteers from Vallabh Vidyanagar town of Anand district had a scary encounter with a mammoth female crocodile when they reached lake of Traj village of Kheda district’s Matar taluka on Friday night.



The volunteers had rushed to the village after receiving a call that a crocodile had attacked a 65-year-old resident on Friday, whose body could not be fished out from the lake. When the rescuers entered the lake in the dark using a traditional fishing boat with battery lights, the crocodile attacked the team twice.

It was three and a half hours’ operation that the volunteers could manage to cage the crocodile which was 12-foot-long and over 400 kg in weight.

After receiving a call that a huge sized crocodile had dragged away Laxmansinh Chavda, a 65-year-old resident of Traj’s Darbar Vanta area, 22 volunteers from Vallabh Vidyanagar went to Traj.

“Crocodiles are not harmful to humans. But between June and August it lays eggs and the

reptile

is furiously protective of its babies. Instead of the dedicated bank which is used by villagers of Traj for routine chores, it seems, the deceased may have ventured to the centre of the lake. The female crocodile may have have attacked him in self defence,” said Rahul Solanki, who led the team of rescuers from Nature Help Foundation.

The rescuers had entered the lake at around 7 pm but could cage the reptile only at around 10.30 pm. “When we reached the centre of the lake, it charged us twice. But it was merely an act of self defence on her part,” he said.

Traj village’s lake is known as a healthy breeding ground of crocodiles. “An estimated 48 crocodiles have been spotted at Traj. Of these, 12 are big sized,” he said, adding that the crocodile, which was

caged

, was 40-50 years in age.

“It was a fully grown female and had laid nearly 60 eggs, of which nearly 40 had hatched. The newborn babies remain around the mother for protection,” he said.

The volunteers added that there was no reason for the crocodile to attack humans, except in self defence. “It survives on fish and there are plenty in Traj’s lake. Crocodiles usually shy away if they notice humans from a distance of 15-20 feet. But if it fears survival, it charges in self-defence,” he said.

On Saturday early morning Anand fire brigade team could fish out Chavda’s body from the lake.