Rescued crocodile released back in Sundarbans river

The Forest Department on Tuesday rescued a saltwater crocodile from a pond in Rampal of Bagerhat and released it back into the wild in the Sundarbans, reports UNB.

Azad Kabir, an officer-in-charge of the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in the eastern part of the Sundarbans, said they rescued the crocodile from a pond in Srirambha village in Rampal after being informed through Deputy Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Habibun Nahar.

The crocodile, estimated to be about 15 years of age, got there through the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans, Kabir added.

Later, the 10-feet-long crocodile was released in a river of the Sundarbans in the morning, he added.

Earlier, on 11 March, another saltwater crocodile was captured by fishermen while they were netting in the Bhaga area of Rampal and released in the Sundarbans.

In this regard, Azad Kabir said the number of crocodiles in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans is much higher now. “They roam in different rivers and canals of the forest and can go elsewhere while floating.”

According to the Forest Department, 206 saltwater crocodiles, born at the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in the Sundarbans, have been released into the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans. At present there are 92 crocodiles of different ages in the centre.