Crocodile Rescued From An Encroachment Area Of Grant Road

Grant Road, Mumbai

On January 10, forest officials rescued a crocodile about one foot long. The crocodile was found trapped inside a box, similar to a fish tank near an encroachment area on the Maulana Shaukat Ali Road.

“We have spies throughout the Mumbai division, that morning we were tipped-off and we immediately reached the place to rescue the crocodile,” said the Range Forest Officer of the Mumbai division, Rakesh Bhoir. He also claimed that this is a rare case and that he has not seen any cases that involved crocodiles in recent years.

He denied any allegations of smuggling because a crocodile was found near a tiny store that contained numerous caged animals and fish tanks. Therefore, it was suspected that the culprit wanted to acquire a crocodile as a pet. It would have been a smuggling case only if the crocodile was found near the airport.

The crocodile remains in the medical facility at an NGO called Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) in Mulund under the care of Pawan Sharma. Bhoir said that the crocodile will remain there for some time before they release it either in the Powai lake or the Tulsi lake of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park

The enquiry on the case is still in process and the duration of the same can vary from three months to one year depending on the seriousness of the matter. “If the reptile had been rescued by the police, the inquiry would have been very different from that of the one that the forest department does,” Bhoir said.

Bhoir did not reveal the details of the culprit to maintain the confidentiality of the case. However, he said that once found guilty, the culprit will be charged under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 which entails the protection of the country’s wild animals, birds, and plant species, in order to ensure environmental and ecological security. The one who violates the law will be imprisoned for three years and the fine of minimum ten thousand rupees will be imposed.