Chennai: A 5 ft crocodile was caught by the public in Nedungundram near Kattankulathur on Monday night.
According to Arumugam, a 70-year-old resident of the area,” I have been living here for several years and only after Vandalur zoo came into existence did the crocodile menace start in our area. Crows pick up the eggs from there and put them here and they eventually breed. The forest department had been negligent regarding the issue.”
According to police sources, on December residents of Alapakkam and Sadanandapuram near Vandalur spotted two crocodiles in a waterbody in their area.
According to locals, the crocodiles emerge during the morning hours to feed and then rest on big sized stones in the water body. Sometimes, the crocodiles disappear into the thick forests near the lake before we can alert anybody, said a resident As heat rises, they crawl back into the waterbody, residents told forest department officials.
However, forest officials from Velachery and Tambaram had searched for the crocodiles at the lake but they did not find any. Officials said since 2009, ten crocodiles have been spotted, rescued and relocated to Vandalur zoo.
Meanwhile, on Saturday night, two youngsters found a marsh crocodile on Nedungundram and the other residents were also informed.
However, the crocodile disappeared. After a two day search, the residents on Monday night caught the 5 feet giant crocodile by themselves and handed it over to the Velachery forest office.
