Mumbai: Crocodile rescued from Kurla pond after 25-day chase

Forest and SARRP India officials with the rescued crocodile. Pics/By Special Arrangement

A 2.5-foot marsh crocodile was rescued from a Kurla pond on December 12, nearly 25 days after forest officials first began efforts to track and capture it. The rescue comes just days after mid-day reported increasing concerns over unusual wildlife sightings in the locality.

Thane forest officials, along with NGO (Spreading Awareness on Reptiles and Rehabilitation Programe) SARRP India, carried out the operation, which required round-the-clock monitoring of the water body. "As marsh crocodiles can stay submerged for long periods, tracking it was challenging. Our team worked in day-and-night shifts to ensure we didn't lose sight of it," said Asif Patrawala of SARRP India.

Rescue attempts began on November 19, and the animal was finally secured alive on Friday, bringing relief to residents living around the densely populated lake. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Deputy Conservator of Forests Sachin Repal, Assistant Conservator of Forests Sonal Valvi, and Range Forest Officer Santosh Dagale. The Kurla range team - including Forester Janardan Bodekar and Forest Guards Vikram Pawar, Jyoti Bhosale, and Bhise Dada - handled ground operations and crowd control.

SARRP India members Santosh Shinde, Asif Patrawala, Shubham Kadam, Shubham Gupta, Sheldon D'Souza, Mihir Jadhav, Pooja Shah, Ashuli Chemburkar, and Rohit Kattimani assisted in the rescue. After its capture, the crocodile underwent a preliminary medical check-up by Dr Deepa Katyal in Chembur. It is now being shifted to the Wildlife hospital, SGNP, for further examination before being released into its natural habitat.