An 11-foot crocodile carcass was recovered from the Vishwamitri river near Govindnagar area of Vadodara city on Saturday, said the Forest Department officials.
The carcass has been sent for a post-mortem examination to ascertain the cause of death, said the officials. The incident is the fifth in the last three months, in which crocodiles are said to have died from “natural causes”.
On Saturday, volunteers retrieved the carcass of the crocodile from the edge of the Vishwamitri river near the Kashiba hospital and handed it over to the Forest Department. Although the primary probe of the Forest Department has pointed at a “natural death”, officials are awaiting the autopsy report to know the exact reason.
Vadodara Range Forest Officer Karansinh Rajput told this newspaper, “An 11-feet female crocodile carcass was recovered from the Vishwamitri River on Saturday. The reason for the crocodile’s death will be known after the post-mortem examination… However, it is not unusual for few natural deaths to occur in a river with rising population. Crocodiles are also known for their territorial fights.”
Rajput added that in the previous instances of crocodile deaths in the Vishwamitri in the last three months, the cause of death has been due to “natural reasons”. Rajput said, “The crocodiles have a lifespan of 30 to 70 years… However, natural causes that affect humans can also affect younger crocodiles and lead to mortality. It is not unusual…”
