Rescuers retrieved a 13-foot-long crocodile that was stuck between two containers at an under-construction site of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor project being executed by L&T at Pingalwada in Karjan Taluka of Vadodara Monday. They handed over the reptile to the forest department for treatment of the injuries sustained. According to Hemant Vadhwana, who rescued the crocodile, the group received a call early Monday morning that L&T workers had spotted a crocodile at night. "Thereafter, the crocodile was not to be seen but early morning they realised that it had fallen in between two containers at the site and was unable to free himself. We reached the spot around noon with the cage and manoeuvred it out. It was a task that lasted about three hours," Vadhwana said. He added that the reptile, which weighed about 200 kg, had probably slipped into the place where it remained stuck. "There is a slope near the containers. It could have fallen while trying to crawl over the slope. Since Dhadhar river is located a few hundred metres away from the site, we believe it strayed from the river. The fall and subsequently its efforts to free itself have left the crocodile with injury to his mouth, back, and tail. The forest department, which has taken the crocodile in its possession, will administer treatment and later release it in its natural habitat," said Vadhwana.
