Gania: Panic gripped villagers of Gopinathpur under Chhamundia panchayat of Gania block in Nayagarh district after they spotted two crocodiles in their village pond.
Fearing attacks, the villagers have stopped taking bath in the pond, it was learnt.
According to locals, some villagers noticed two crocodiles sleeping on the pond embankment Monday while they had been there to take a dip. The reptiles are said to have come from nearby Mahanadi river.
The villagers said that they depend on these ponds for bathing and washing clothes as Mahanadi water has become dirty. They are also apprehensive of the reptiles feeding on the fingerlings left in the ponds for fish farming. The villagers have approached the Forest Department demanding the crocodiles be shifted to the Mahanadi river.
“The department would deploy staff at the ponds to keep a tab on the movement of crocodiles. The aquatic animals will be rescued and then released in Mahanadi water,” a Forest Department official said.
PNN