Hatchlings of estuarine crocodiles have started emerging from the eggs and making their way to various water bodies inside the
Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha, a senior forest official has said. After coming out of the eggshells, the baby crocodiles were seen loitering aimlessly before hopping into the water bodies at the national park, he said. The emergence of hatchlings has commenced since the last three days and would continue for a fortnight, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife), Forest Division, Prasanna Kumar Acharya, said. This natural phenomenon marks the culmination of the annual breeding and nesting season of the endangered saltwater crocodiles.

The forest department has engaged ground staff to keep a close watch on baby crocodiles to ensure that they do not fall prey to predators, he said. This year, forest personnel have spotted a record number of 101 nesting sites of the estuarine crocodiles in the national park, Acharya said. "The increase in the number of nests is indicative of the success of the conservation measures undertaken by the state forest department," the DFO said.