This Marsh crocodile was found on December 7 in an agricultural field in Sanghar. It was later released into a lake in Makhi forest. A crocodile of the same species was found on Wednesday near Salehpat. This time, however, villagers killed the crocodile after discovering it. PHOTO: FILE
SUKKUR: A famished crocodile which had come out of the Nara Canal in search of food was gunned down by villagers near Salehpat, some 20 kilometres away from Sukkur on Wednesday night.
While talking to The Express Tribune, the deputy director of the wildlife department in Sukkur, Ghulam Mohammad Gadani, said that he had heard about the incident and wanted to investigate why the villagers felt the need to kill the animal. “I have sent a team to the area to find out why the crocodile was shot dead,” he said, adding that some people had told him that the animal had been killed for its hide. “I will be able to share the facts only after my team returns from the area.”
When the Nara Canal is closed from January 6 to January 20, its water levels dip and fish become scarce. It is during this time that crocodiles come out of the canal and head to nearby areas in search of food. The crocodile that was shot on Wednesday was reportedly three meters long.
Gadani added that Marsh crocodiles are only found in the Nara Canal, as well as, small saline water lakes in the Nara Desert in Khairpur as well as Deh Akro II in Shaheed Benazirabad. “Over a 1,000 crocodiles live in around six small lakes in Khairpur and 30 in Shaheed Benazirabad. The animals vary in size - they can be anywhere between five-and-a-half and 12 feet.”
He said that last year, two crocodiles had come out of the canal in search of food. “The villagers caught them and informed wildlife officials, who rushed to the area and released the animals into their habitat.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2013.
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@Saeed: Here crocodile is the victim due homelessness & hunger. So the analogy fits backward. Our big greedy crocodiles from the corruption lake are actually running away with citizens' skin in broad day light. Remember, the money you steal/find/discover actually always belong to someone who worked hard for it. The money our political leaders consider their's to take/steal has far reaching devastating results in all shape & form to the national development programs if not directly to poor & the needy. Now, To protect these helpless wild creatures in the picture above it was our governments responsibility to plan ahead before cutting off their sustenance and habitat. No creature should be shot & killed while we are responsile for exposing their vulnerability like this, comming out of safe waters for food in public.
What about the hungry crocodiles of Karachi Islamabad and Lahore, when will the people take their hides?