Kendrapara: A 45-year-old man has been seriously injured after an estuarine crocodile pounced on him at a river ghat in this district.
The incident took place when Bhagabat Rout of Balichandanpur village was bathing in the ghat located along river Brahmani at Rajpur Wednesday.
The crocodile was trying to drag the man into deep water, but locals hearing his scream could rescue him, a forest official said.
Rout has been admitted to the Rajnagar community health centre with multiple injuries. Subsequently, he was shifted to the district headquarters hospital and SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. He is presently out of danger, the official said.
“The forest department is bearing the cost of treatment of the injured,” divisional forest officer, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya, said.
The department will also provide compensation to the injured person’s family as per nomrs, the DFO said.
At least three such incidents have been reported in Rajnagar area recently.
Forest personnel are of the view that people are exposing themselves to crocodile attacks by entering rivers, creeks and other water bodies of Bhitarkanika and its nearby areas as the areas are infested with estuarine crocodiles.
Locals are mostly found to disregard the precautionary warning, the DFO said.
The forest department has identified 50 riverside spots as ‘danger zones’ because of frequent sighting of the reptiles in these places.
The forest officials also erected barricades in about 35 ponds and river ghats in the park and its nearby areas to prevent the crocodiles from attacking humans, the forest officer said.
Service groups have been pressed into service to drive away crocodiles from human habitations, he said.
The latest crocodile attack occurred outside Bhitarkanika National Park limits, he added.
PNN