Tears for a crocodile in Vadodara: Condolence meet held for beloved ‘family member’

VADODARA: The ghats of Vishwamitri River in the city reverberated with Sanskrit shlokas chanted by a priest. Dozens of Barodians turned up for the gathering and offered condolences. But not for any fellow human.
In a first, wildlife activists organized a condolence meet for a 10-foot-long crocodile that was found dead in Vishwamitri River about a week ago. It was the fourth crocodile to have died in the river within two months
“He was like a member of our family and stayed among us for so many years. We had spotted him many times during our visit to the river. His sudden death pained us and so we decided to pay tribute to the reptile. It was heartening to see many citizens attending the meet,” said Vishal Thakur, a wildlife activist who had organized the meet on Sunday along with Sanjay Soni.
A photograph of the crocodile was placed at the venue and floral tributes were also offered by the attendees.
Carcass of the reptile weighing about 150 kg was found floating in the river in Sayajigunj on August 10. Forest officials have launched an inquiry into the cause of the death of four crocodiles.
“If any Asiatic lion dies in Gir forest, villagers express grief as they are attached to the big cats. Barodians have been co-existing with crocodiles for many decades but how many really care for these reptiles? In fact, many litter the river with garbage. We organized this meet to involve citizens in conserving the river and the reptiles,” Thakur told TOI.
Parth Brahmbhatt, a citizen who attended the condolence meeting, “That Vishwamitri is home to hundreds of crocodiles was known to me but I felt that it is just another reptile living among us. During the meet, I learnt about how crocodiles are important for our eco-system and like us, they too have a family. I will participate in the campaigns to conserve these reptiles now on,” said
Some wildlife lovers proposed that the dead crocodile be named after our freedom fighter Mangal Pandey. “Like Pandey’s death triggered a revolution across the country, this reptile’s death would shake up people and compel the authorities to act,” said Soni who stays by the river bank in Sayajigunj. He added that every year, dozens of crocodiles venture out of the river but none of them ever attacks humans as they have learnt to peacefully coexist with people.
Thakur and Soni will also launch a campaign to spread awareness about the reptiles in the schools and colleges in the coming months.
Watch No crocodile tears: Condolence meet held for a crocodile in Vadodara