Crocodile kills man

A 47-year-old man was killed allegedly by a crocodile near Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha's Kendrapara district, an official said on Monday.

An adult crocodile pounced on Sanjay Kumar Pradhan of Mandapada village under Pattamundai Tehsil on Sunday as he was taking bath in a bathing ghat. The maimed body of the victim was fished out of the river by local residents on Monday, the official said.

The incident occurred outside Bhitarkanika national park limits. The deceased man's family would be covered under ex-gratia compensation payment scheme, said Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) forest division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya.

The Forest department has erected bamboo barricaded bathing ghat in croc-infested water zones for people's bathing purpose.

However, the river-side villagers are exposing themselves to crocodiles' attack by taking bath in areas which have not been barricaded, he said.

Lethal assault by the reptiles and consequent retaliatory attack by men has become a regular feature in this part of the state. The conflict and consequent loss of human lives are frequently recorded during the monsoon and winter months, the nesting season of the estuarine crocodiles.

It is observed that adult crocodiles, under normal circumstances, do not leave their territory to chase human beings on land, unlike terrestrial predatory animals, such as tiger. Most often, mishaps occur when the victims intrude into the animal's habitat for illegal fishing, poaching, fuel wood and honey collection, officials said.

The animals, in the wake of depleted food reserves in the river system, stray into nearby rivulets and nullahs. With the water bodies located near human settlements, crocodiles attack men, who fish in 'troubled waters'.