Kendrapada: The carcass of a three-foot-and-seven-inch-long female saltwater crocodile aged around six years was found on Thursday in Hansua river near Badakota village within Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapada district.“The carcass was found floating in the river. Some locals intimated the forest authorities. After getting information, a team of forest officials rushed to the river and retrieved the carcass of the crocodile,” said the forest range officer of Bhitarkanika, Santanu Dalai. “After retrieving it, we sent the reptile carcass to the veterinary office at Rajnagar for autopsy so that we know the exact reason behind its death,” added the forest officer.Fishing is banned in the water bodies of the park. But some fishermen illegally fish in the rivers and creeks. Illegal fishing is taking the lives of crocodiles in Bhitarkanika as crocodiles die from entanglement in illegal fishing nets, leading to asphyxiation or drowning when they cannot surface.On Oct 6, the carcass of a 14-foot-long male saltwater crocodile aged around 20 years was found in Brahmani river near Nagada village within Bhitarkanika.“The unnatural death of an adult crocodile in Bhitarkanika and its nearby areas is alarming. Saltwater crocodiles are covered under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972,” said Sudhakar Kar, a noted herpetologist and former wildlife researcher with the forest and wildlife department.“This is the 19th incident of unnatural death of crocodiles within six years and the 41st death of crocodiles around the park within 14 years, which has baffled the forest officials and environmentalists. Bhitarkanika, a vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp, is the home of 1,858 saltwater crocodiles as per the reptile census report of Jan 2026,” said Hemant Rout, an environmentalist and the secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtles and Mangrove Conservation Society, Kendrapada.
