9.5 feet crocodile rescued from bullet train project site near Vadodara

Wildlife activist Hemant Vadhwana says it is the second rescue in a short span

Wildlife activist Hemant Vadhwana received a call to rescue a 9.5-feet long crocodile from the 30-feet deep pit of the under-construction pillar of the ongoing MAHSR corridor near Maretha. (Express photo)

For the second time in less than a month, a crocodile was on Monday rescued from the site of the ongoing Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor bullet train project in Maretha village near Vadodara. The 9.5 feet long crocodile had been trapped in an under-construction pillar at the site, requiring animal rescue teams to deploy a crane to lift the mugger out of the deep trench of the pillar.

Wildlife activist Hemant Vadhwana received a call to rescue a 9.5-feet long crocodile from the 30-feet deep pit of the under-construction pillar of the ongoing MAHSR corridor near Maretha.

When Vadhwana and officials of the forest department reached the spot, they were faced with a predicament as the crocodile would weigh around 150 kilos, making it difficult for the reptile to be picked out of the 30-feet deep trench that was also filled with silt following recent heavy rainfall.

Vadhwana told The Indian Express, “The pillar is along the Vishwamitri river and therefore, the crocodiles tend to stray into the site… This is the second rescue in a short span. When we received a call and reached the spot, we realised that the only way out was to lift it with the help of a hydraulic crane. Accordingly, after about two hours of hard work, we were able to fasten the grip on the crocodile and pull it out with the help of the crane.”

The crocodile was handed over to the forest department.

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