Bhubaneswar: A 54-year-old woman had a miraculous escape after being attacked by a saltwater crocodile while washing utensils in a river near Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at Petachela village under the Mahakalapada forest range. Chabi Bhukta had entered the Ramachandi river when a crocodile suddenly seized her hand and attempted to drag her into deeper waters.
Recounting the horrifying moment from her hospital bed at the Mahakalapada Community Health Centre, Bhukta said she screamed for help and desperately fought back. “The crocodile caught my hand and started dragging me into the river. I shouted and struck its eyes with a spoon I was carrying. After that, it loosened its grip, and I managed to escape,” she said in a weak voice. She sustained injuries on her hands, legs, and abdomen and is currently receiving treatment.
This narrow escape comes just two months after a similar tragedy in the region. On March 11, a 54-year-old fisherman from Kansala village was killed by a crocodile while fishing in the Gobari river near Bhitarkanika.
Forest officials noted that human-crocodile conflicts have been rising steadily in villages surrounding the national park. Official records show that estuarine crocodiles have killed four people in the past 14 months, 14 in the last three years, and 30 over the past 48 months.
Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Manas Kumar Das explained that crocodile attacks tend to increase during the mating and nesting season from May to July, when the reptiles become more active and frequently come onto land to lay eggs.
