24 February,2020 07:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet Jadhav
The trap was set up at the Mulund West construction site just after the crocodile was spotted in the area in January
After struggling for almost two months, members of NGO RAWW, NGO Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA) and Thane forest department officials finally managed to rescue a six-foot-long Indian Marsh crocodile from a construction site near Swapna Nagri in Mulund West.
The crocodile was first spotted at the construction site in January. The area is close to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and also has a natural pond located nearby.
The rescue team believes it might have come from either of the two places. Forest Department officials had set up a trap cage at the site in the second week of January to rescue the reptile, but did not find much success.
Speaking to mid-day, honorary wildlife warden of Thane and president of NGO RAWW, Pawan Sharma, said, "A six-foot-long crocodile walked into the trap cage in the wee hours of Sunday. The crocodile was spotted at the Swapna Nagri construction site two months back." Members of the NGOs and Forest Department officials were working in close coordination to rescue the crocodile, which finally happened on Sunday after two months.
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"It was not an easy task. We prepared strategies to rescue it but many of our attempts failed. We are happy that the efforts of NGO RAWW, WWA and Forest Department have finally paid off and we managed to safely rescue the crocodile," said Aditya Patil, president of NGO WWA.
Post the rescue operation, the crocodile was taken to SGNP for a medical examination, which revealed that the reptile was completely fit.
Deputy conservator of forest Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar said, "A five-year-old male crocodile has been rescued from the Aristo construction site, Mulund West, by the Thane forest division and volunteer organisations. The animal was found to be fit, and has been released in the wild."
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