Digapahandi: Digapahandi forest officials with the help of local police rescued a six-foot long crocodile from a farmer’s paddy field Saturday afternoon.
It was some farmers of Talasingi village of Kaithakhandi panchayat under Digapahandi block in Ganjam district who first spotted the giant reptile in the paddy field. They were frightened at first and then they informed Simanchal Panigrahi, the owner of the paddy field. They were on their way home when they spotted the reptile.
As the news spread, people from the village and nearby villages gathered at the spot to have a look at the crocodile. Meanwhile, panchayat samiti member Arun Gouda had already informed the forest department and police.
After a while, forest department officials and a police team led by Digapahandi IIC Basant Kumar Sethi reached the spot. While the police controlled the crowd, following the directions of Digapahandi ranger Pramod Khadgaray, the forest department officials including forest guard Muralidhar Nayak and Sujata Rath with the help of some policemen and local social activist Kishore Shukla rescued the amphibian and then released it in nearby Ghodahada dam reservoir.
When asked, ranger Khadgaray said the crocodile had swept away in the canal water of Ghodahada dam. Then it had crawled into the paddy field. While it is aged about four years, its length is about six feet.
PNN