The reptile was safely captured by the Maharashtra Forest Department with assistance from the NGO SARRP India, officials said. Pics/NGO SARRP INDIA (Story/Ranjeet Jadhav)
The rescue comes just days after mid-day reported increasing concerns over unusual wildlife sightings in the locality
Thane forest officials, along with NGO 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
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, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, for further examination before being released into its natural habitat
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