Baby crocodile rescued from Mumbai chawl; may have been brought by rain

Rain can bring a lot of pain in the form of waterlogging, vector-borne diseases — and, if you live in Mumbai, even crocodiles!

Two local snake catchers have rescued a baby marsh crocodile from a chawl (old row tenement) in the eastern Mumbai suburb of Mulund, an honorary wildlife warden said on Tuesday (July 25). They handed it over to the Mumbai range of the Thane Forest Department.

The reptile was subsequently given to the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) for medical examination and further rehabilitation, said honorary wildlife warden Pawan Sharma.

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The Maharashtra forest department is trying to find out how the reptile was found so far from its natural habitats at Tulsi, Vihar, and Powai lakes (4-10 km), the official added. The croc was found in the Ghati Pada area of Mulund (West) on Saturday.

Starving and in trauma

This is a season for crocodile eggs to hatch and young ones are born and found near water habitats; so, finding such a small crocodile is quite strange, said Sharma.

“There can be a few reasons, natural or manmade, behind this occurrence. A natural reason can be displacement from its natural habitat whereas manmade reasons can be illegal fishing or illegal wildlife trade,” he said.

The baby crocodile was in trauma and had been starving since many days, he said, adding it might have been displaced due to heavy rains. The reptile will be medically examined, stabilized, and then released back to its natural habitat, he said.

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However, this is not the first time that a crocodile has been found or rescued from suburbs, he said.

“Mumbai and surrounding areas are rich biodiversity hotspots for wildlife and there are regular interactions between humans and wildlife,” said Sharma.

(With agency inputs)