Kendrapada: A 54-year-old fisherman of Kansapala village near Bhitarkanika National Park was killed by a saltwater crocodile around 4:30 pm on Tuesday.The reptile dragged him into the Gobari river while he was fishing. The half-eaten body of Devakumar Mandal was recovered by forest and fire brigade personnel from the river on Wednesday morning. The forest department will provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to his family, said forest range officer of Mahakalapada Santanu Dalai.“Devakumar was standing in knee-deep water and casting his net when the crocodile suddenly dragged him away. We raised an alarm and tried to save him but the reptile pulled him into deep water,” said Parikhita Mandal, a villager.This is the latest in a series of fatal crocodile attacks in the region. A saltwater crocodile killed 59-year-old Soudamini Mahala of Kantia village on Oct 22, 2025, while she was washing clothes in the Kharosotra river. Earlier, on Sept 19, 2025, 37-year-old Laxmi Dalei of Suniti village was killed while catching fish in the Gobari river within Mahakalapada forest range.Human-crocodile conflict around Bhitarkanika National Park has intensified in recent years. Estuarine crocodiles have killed four people in the past 12 months, 14 in three years, and 30 in the last 46 months.Bhitarkanika, a vast expanse of mangrove forest and saltwater swamp, is home to around 1,858 saltwater crocodiles, according to this year’s reptile census. To reduce such incidents, the forest department erected barricades at 120 river ghats across Aul, Mahakalapada, Rajkanika and Pattamundai blocks. Awareness campaigns using posters, pamphlets and loudspeakers are being carried out to warn villagers against venturing into unprotected waters and to encourage them to use barricaded bathing areas.“We do not think crocodiles pose a risk to public safety if people keep out of the waters. But if they enter these water bodies, their safety cannot be guaranteed,” said Manas Kumar Das, assistant conservator of forests, Bhitarkanika.
