Number of crocodiles rises marginally in Bhitarkanika

The number of salt-water crocodiles in and around Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park rose marginally in a year.
The census figure put the number of salt-water crocodiles there at 1,671 this year while the 2015 census figure was 1,665, said Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya.
In 2014, the crocodile number stood at 1,644.
The enumerators sighted 11 albino species and re-spotted a 22-foot-long crocodile, which figures in the Guinness Book of Records as being the world's largest living estuarine crocodile.
The enumerators covered riverside villages where reports of man-crocodile conflict had reached a flashpoint recently.

The census findings have made it clear that the species is itinerant in nature and strays into adjoining water-bodies because of its increase in hyper-salinity contents. After a temporary sojourn, they leave for their permanent habitation corridors within Bhitarkanika National Park, Acharya said.

At least three giant size male crocodiles over 20 feet long were spotted during the annual enumeration operation. This includes the 22 foot-long crocodile.
This apart, the DFO said, the enumerators spotted about a dozen albino crocodiles. These species came under sub-adult category measuring over 6 feet.
Besides these species in the wild, Gori, a 39-year-old female white crocodile is being reared in captivity at Dangamal Crocodile Research Centre, said crocodile researcher Sudhakar Kar, who headed the census operation that concluded last week.