A 2.5-foot marsh crocodile was rescued from a Kurla pond on December 12, nearly 25 days after forest officials first began efforts to track and capture it. The rescue comes just days after mid-day reported increasing concerns over unusual wildlife sightings in the locality.

Thane forest officials, along with NGO (Spreading Awareness on Reptiles and Rehabilitation Programe) SARRP India, carried out the operation, which required round-the-clock monitoring of the water body. “As marsh crocodiles can stay submerged for long periods, tracking it was challenging. Our team worked in day-and-night shifts to ensure we didn’t lose sight of it,” said Asif Patrawala of SARRP India.