Kendrapara (Odisha): Forest personnel rescued a five-foot-long estuarine crocodile stuck in a fishing net, much to the relief of residents of a village in Kendrapara district in Odisha. An inland fisherman noticed the young snake entangled in his fishing net at Orataghat hamlet in Mahakalapada police station area after it strayed into Luna River from the Bhitarkanika river system.
Locals, particularly fisherman, were alarmed when they discovered the crocodile webbed in the net and alerted the police and forest officials. It was later recovered alive by forest personnel. According to forest officials, the crocodile is secure and was not injured during its rescue by expert wildlife employees from the forest department. According to them, the crocodile was later released into the wild of the Bhitarkanika river system. The discovery of the crocodile caused alarm among the local fishermen.
Crocodiles stray into the area's water bodies in search of food, then return to their natural habitat within a few days, according to forest officials. The population of saltwater crocodiles in Bhitarkanika has grown from 96 in 1975 to 1,768 today.
