Chennai: With Tamil Nadu reeling under severe drought with its lakes and rivers drying up, crocodiles are having a field time exploring land.
Some of them are basking under the scorching sun and a handful of them strayed into nearby slush for summer dormancy. Sightings of stray crocodiles have increased in Chidambaram, Cuddalore and Mettur areas, where the river Cauvery flows.
Particularly in delta region, the rivulets and canals connected to river Cauvery and Coleroon had dried this summer, forest rangers in Chidambaram and Cuddalore areas are on a high alert looking out for crocodiles, said sources at state forest headquarters here.
“Every year there are about 15 to 20 crocodiles straying into residential areas of delta region. Though they came out of river channels for basking in the sun or due to depleting water levels, we rescue only those straying into neighborhoods. This summer, two crocodiles have been rescued and there are alerts coming from villages. Only the aggressive stray animals are rescued and dormant ones are not disturbed,” said Cuddalore district forest officer A. Soundarajan.
“These crocodiles can be dormant for two months and we have told villagers not to panic when they are in bushes. Most of the crocodile attack is from Kollidam area otherwise there is no human animal conflict,” said a source at forest headquarters putting the annual crocodile attack in the state from two to three cases in a year.
“Once the Mettur dam water is released there will be nothing to fear as these crocodiles will return to their territorial waters,” said G. Kannan, wildlife biologist of Mudumalai.
Foresters should look out if there are aggressive behaviour from crocodiles otherwise there is nothing to worry about mugger crocodiles, he added.
Meanwhile in Chennai, foresters attached to Velachery headquarters, who have been monitoring a crocodile in Sadananthapuram temple tank have also decided not to disturb the crocodile, as it was not posing danger to the residents of suburban Nerkundram.
