Cops patrolling a road here at night received the shock of their lives when, what they presumed to be a road hump turned out to be a crocodile stranded after heavy rains. Identified as a female crocodile, the reptile is reportedly massive in size. The cops alerted zoo authorities and their higher officials immediately, after which more than half a dozen zoo staff rushed to the spot and managed to cover the reptile with sheets and shifted it to its natural habitat in Karanji lake.
The reptile moved from water to land and was heading from Administrative Training Institute (ATI) main gate to Lalitha Mahal main road. The ATI is situated behind Karanji lake which is richly populated by crocodiles, birds and suitable vegetation. There was no incident of crocodile slipping into the ATI premises where KAS probationers are undergoing training.
Zoo director Ravishankar said there are around 12 crocodiles in Karanji lake. He said the availability of food, particularly of fish weighing around 10 to 12 kg in the lake has brought crocodiles to Karanji.
However, the public wants Karanji lake to be fenced to ensure that crocodiles do not slip into their neighbourhood, roads or nearby institutes. It may be recalled that a crocodile that was found at Kuppanna park in Nazarbad was rescued recently. The latest sighting has also panicked residents who go for a morning walk.
(This was first published in The New Indian Express)
