Crocodile tamed at Visakhapatnam zoo to clear debris from dens

Visakhapatnam: One might have seen many times on television scenes of wildlife enthusiasts getting into marsh, blindfolding a wild croc and physically restraining it for various purposes.

Vizag zoo has been witnessing such action-filled moments since a week at its Mugger, saltwater crocodile and gharial enclosures. Trained young volunteers of the International Fund for Animal Welfare Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) conducted such animal catching and restraining operations to facilitate the debris clearing activities post-Hudhud.

Rudra Prasanna Mohapatra, who leads the 10-member team said, “The upper jaws of crocodiles are very strong. So, it is secured first by tying a rope around its snout and it is pulled out of water after which the reptile is blindfolded so that it does not get stressed. This is followed by manually overpowering of the beast.”

As all the crocodile enclosures have more than one crocodile, while one is being restrained by four to five people, the others are forced into water. This is not the first time the organisation is conducting such an operation. It had and rescued a large number of birds and animals in Odisha after Phailin.