Vadodara: The sight of a giant crocodile on a village bridge would send most people scrambling for safety. In Jambuva village on Wednesday, however, the locals did something different. When the residents spotted a nine-foot-long crocodile crawling onto a bridge near national highway 48, they walked up close to it.Instead of creating a commotion, a few experienced villagers armed themselves with long sticks and carefully guided the crocodile away from the road. The usually aggressive reptile followed the direction given by the villagers and moved towards a safer area away from traffic.The locals remained on the spot until they were convinced that the crocodile would not return to the bridge or stray onto the highway. Over the last few weeks, several incidents of crocodiles straying into public areas have been reported in and around the city. Heavy rains have increased the water level in Vishwamitri river which is home to hundreds of crocodiles. Many crocodiles venture out of the river and migrate to other waterbodies to avoid strong water current during monsoons.
