Baby Crocodile Rescued From Residential Area Near Mumbai

A baby marsh crocodile was rescued from a 'chawl' in the eastern Mumbai suburb of Mulund, an honorary wildlife warden said on Tuesday.

Two local snake catchers rescued the reptile from a 'chawl' (old row tenement) in the Ghati Pada area of Mulund (west) on Saturday and handed it over to the Mumbai range of the Thane Forest Department, said honorary wildlife warden Pawan Sharma.

The reptile was subsequently given to the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) for medical examination and further rehabilitation, he said.

The baby crocodile was in trauma and had been starving since many days, he said, adding it might have been displaced due to heavy rains.

The reptile will be medically examined, stabilized and then released back to its natural habitat, he said.

The Maharashtra forest department is trying to find out how the reptile was found so far from its natural habitats at Tulsi, Vihar and Powai lakes, the official added.

This is a season for crocodile eggs to hatch and young ones are born and found near water habitats so finding such a small crocodile is quite strange, said Pawan Sharma.

"There can be few reasons, natural or man made, behind this occurrence. Natural reason can be displacement from its natural habitat where as man made reasons can be illegal fishing or illegal wildlife trade," he said.

However, this is not the first time that a crocodile has been found or rescued from suburbs, he said.

"Mumbai and surrounding areas are rich biodiversity hotspots for wildlife and there are regular interactions between humans and wildlife," said Pawan Sharma.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)