Crocodile attack leaves man critical

KENDRAPARA: A 35-year-old resident of Rajpur village near Bhitarkanika National Park was grievously injured after being attacked by a salt-water crocodile on Thursday.

The victim, Bhagabat Rout, was attacked by the crocodile while he was bathing in Brahmani river. The crocodile, after attacking Bhagabat, tried to dragged him deep into the water. However, some locals present at the river ghat raised an alarm and rescued him. “We attacked the reptile with a bamboo stick following which it lost its grip and failed to drag Bhagabat deep into the water,” said Mahendra Rout, a villager.
The victim sustained multiple wounds on his hands and legs. He was immediately rushed to Community Health Centre (CHC) at Rajnagar where doctors provided him first aid. Later, he was shifted to district headquarters hospital at Kendrapara.

Bhitarkanika National Park DFO Bimal Prasanna Acharya said the incident occurred outside the national park limits. He said the Forest department would bear the cost of treatment of the victim.Acharya said the residents of riverside villages have been repeatedly warned not to venture into the water bodies of Bhitarkanika and its nearby areas as they are infested with around 1,700 estuarine crocodiles. “The Forest department has erected barricades on 35  ponds and river ghats in the park and its nearby areas to prevent the crocodiles from entering human habitations,” the DFO said.