Vadodara, Apr 26: It was a tug of war between the fire brigade team and a fully grown crocodile that continued for about an hour right in the heart of the city. People waited with baited breath as the firemen tried to pull out body of a 60-year-old man that was killed by a crocodile near river Vishwamitri near Navinagri slums on Friday afternoon. This is the third crocodile attack in Vadodara in the last 20 days.
The man was attacked by the crocodile when he went to relieve himself at about 2.30pm. Some passersby noticed the reptile carrying the victim's body in the river and informed the fire brigade.
"When we reached the spot, the crocodile was holding the man's head in its mouth. We tried to rescue it, but over a dozen crocodiles were encircling the spot. When we put in a hook to pull out the body, the crocodile took it away to the other side of the river," fire brigade sub-officer Nathu Dangi, who carried out the rescue operation, said.
"We reached the other side and tried to reach the body, but the crocodile was aggressive. It refused to let off the body. When we tried to pull out the body from the river, the crocodile held the man's legs in its mouth. Finally, it let go the body after it saw big crowd," Dangi said. The victim is yet to be identified.
Animal activists Vishal Thakur and Rakesh Wadhvana said the crocodile may have attacked the victim as it is nesting season for them. "Crocodiles lay eggs in this season. The victim may have unknowingly ventured near the crocodile's nest in Vishwamitri. Female crocodiles become very aggressive in this season as they defend their eggs. People shouldn't venture near the river banks in summers," Thakur said.
An elderly woman Savita Gohil was killed by a crocodile in Asoj village near Savli about 20 days ago. She was attacked when she ventured near a lake in the village. On April 20, a 15-year-old boy, Arvind Sharma was killed by a crocodile in Marekha village near Makarpura when he fell in the river from a wooden plank.
Comments
Add new comment