The forest officials and wildlife volunteers have rescued 21 crocodiles in July from Vadodara range — majority of which were found within Vadodara city jurisdiction, where the Vishwamitri river intersects at multiple places. Vadodara Range Forest Officer Karansinh Rajput said about three or four of the 21 crocodiles rescued were spotted in village areas while the rest were found in Vadodara city periphery. “Wildlife volunteers rescued one eight-feet long crocodile from Sama in July. The rest were babies, up to four feet in length. This is unlike the previous years when long crocodiles were spotted during monsoons. The larger crocodiles remain in the water and can steadily hold their place while the smaller ones usually remain on edges and are easily swept out…” Of these 21, another seven-feet long crocodile was also rescued from Bhayli area from a rainwater pit while a 1.5-feet long baby crocodile was rescued from a housing society on Rajmahal road. Rajput said, “During the days of heavy rainfall (from July 24), Vadodara witnessed flooding in some areas. Since it wasn’t a major flood where the entire city went under water for a long period, as of now, the crocodiles have not been spotted in big numbers.” Wildlife activist Hemant Vadhwana said :“Most of the crocodiles spotted are babies. Once the reptile is about a foot long, it begins looking for a new territory. When there is a flood, the crocodiles also try to migrate to a ‘safer’ water body like a pond or pit and stay put until the river returns to normal level. Then they head back…” Vadhwana said that the sudden gush of water into the Vishwamitri could have also temporarily swept away the hatchlings. He added, “Although the floods were not massive, the Vishwamitri river, which is their natural habitat, rose from 5 to 25 feet within 12 hours. That is a lot of force and the water could have swept them downstream. Once they try to return to their territory, they will be spotted. Many times, the larger mother crocodiles are also spotted when they are migrating due to territorial fights.” The crocodiles were released back into the Vishwamitri river later, forest officials confirmed.
