At Sakhi Sultan Manghopir there are around 200 crocodiles in the natural pond. Since the shrine has been closed, their main source of food, sacrificial meat from devotees, has dried up, said caretaker Sajjad. This group of reptiles is the largest to be found in the entire country, he bragged.
Don’t be fooled by their slumbering grey-green backs. When they are still, the crocodiles can blend in with the dusty earth or the green water, which is why visitors have to be extra careful. When they do choose to move, all it takes is a sudden flick of their scaly tail and you can be flat on your back.
The responsibility of keeping them well fed is the Auqaf department’s but the people who keep their large appetites sated are Sakhi Manghopir’s devotees, who throw meat offerings into the grimy green pond, Sajjad explained.
“They don’t get any food from the government,” claimed Abdul Ghani, a social worker at Manghopir. Even if some arrangements are made, they never make it to the animals because someone or the other usurps it.
He demanded the shrine be reopened so the informal system through which the crocodiles were given their daily meals could be restored.
So far, there has been no news from the Auqaf department on when the shrine can reopen.
The crocodiles are not the only losers.
The owners of the countless tiny kiosks and shops around the shrine, selling everything from pictures of Bollywood actresses encased in fake seashells to aloo anday, have also been severely affected.
Supervisor of the shrine from the Auqaf department, Yaseen Khaskheli, admitted that the decision had adversely impacted both the crocodiles and business. “Logon key choolay thanday par gaeye hain,” he lamented, adding that he hoped the shrine would be reopened soon.
Legends of the crocodiles
More than 200 crocodiles live at the shelter in Manghopir, said Sajjad Sheedi, the caretaker. Morr Saheb has been the chief of all crocodiles in the pond for almost 70 years. “His descendant will become the chief crocodile.
But when a crocodile is able to kill Morr Sahib, he can be nominated in his stead,” Sajjad added.
The crocodile pond is around 400 feet (120 metres) long and 200 feet (61 metres) wide. It is nourished by an underground stream and provides shelter to crocodiles that range between six and seven feet in length.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2010.
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