Bhubaneswar: A three-foot-seven-inch-long female saltwater crocodile was found dead in Bhitarkanika National Park on Thursday.
The carcass, of a six-year-old reptile, was spotted floating in the Hansua river near Badakota village by locals, who alerted the forest department. Forest officials rushed to the spot and retrieved the carcass.
Range Officer, Bhitarkanika, Santanu Dalai said the carcass has been sent to Rajnagar veterinary hospital for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death. Despite a ban on fishing inside the park’s water bodies, illegal fishing continues. Forest officials said entanglement in fishing nets often leads to asphyxiation and drowning of crocodiles.
Earlier on October 6, a 14-foot-long, 20-year-old male saltwater crocodile was found dead in the Brahmani river near Nagada village inside the park.
