Two big crocodiles rescued near Ajwa garden, released

Vadodara: A team of forest department officials and wildlife activists rescued two crocodiles near Ajwa garden late on Saturday night.
Wildlife Rescue Trust members said they had received a call regarding presence of a big crocodile at near entrance gate of Ajwa garden at around 11.30 pm after which they rushed to the spot after informing the forest department officials/

“When we reached the spot, a crocodile was moving towards the main road. While we were rescuing the crocodile, we received another call about presence of another reptile just half a km away from the spot where we were present,” said Arvind Pawar, president of the trust.

Pawar said both the crocodiles which were rescued were female. While the first crocodile was nine-and-a-half foot long, another was eight-foot and six inches long.

According to the activists, a total of seven crocodiles have been rescued in the last three months from the same area surrounding Ajwa reservoir.

“It seems that the crocodiles are coming out from the reservoir as the water levels are receding the. Also, a 30-feet deep ditch has been dug at the theme park that is being developed at Ajwa garden which seems to be attracting the reptiles,” he said.

Based on guidance received from Kartik Maharaja, deputy conservator of forests in Vadodara, the crocodiles were later released.