LIVE TV
Odisha
Recommended Stories
Kendrapara: These are testing times for the people of several riverside villages in Kendrapara district as there has been a rise in the incidents of crocodile attacks. Sarbeshwar Jena of Indupur village considers himself lucky to have escaped from the jaws of death after he was attacked by a crocodile on Sunday.
As per reports, Jena was returning home along with his cattle when a crocodile tried to drag him by his feet into Birupa River. Somehow Jena managed to save himself after an intense struggle with the reptile.
“The crocodile tried to drag me into river. Somehow I managed to hit the animal with my leg for which I was saved,” said Jena.
Sajani Mallick too of Khunta village under Rajkanika block survived a fierce crocodile attack recently. Mallick was washing utensils when the reptile attacked her. However, Mallick was saved after she managed to grab a tree and raised an alarm. Soon locals rushed to the spot and rescued her.
Crocodile attacks are being frequently reported from areas close to Birupa, Brahmani Rivers and their tributaries. As per government records, 9 persons have been killed in several crocodile attacks in the last five years since 2015.
As there are nearly 1,744 crocodiles in several rivers and other water bodies in the district, lack of protective measures including fencing are being attributed to be the reason behind such man-animal conflicts.
Kendrapara Collector, Samarth Varma stated that already Tehsildars and foresters are holding discussions with local villagers and creating awareness. But unfortunately such incidents are occurring and we will take steps to minimize such incidents, he said.
