A massive crocodile strayed into a residential area in a village in Bihar’s Supaul district and was spotted moving along a road near the Nepal border.
A massive crocodile strayed into a residential area in a village in Bihar’s Supaul district and was spotted moving along a road near the Nepal border. The dramatic sighting took place in Khontaha village, where residents were stunned to find the crocodile near a house.
Residents promptly alerted the Dial-112 emergency service and the forest department. A forest department team, accompanied by personnel from Bhimnagar police, soon arrived and launched an operation to safely capture the crocodile.
The rescue proved challenging because of the reptile’s enormous size and strength. After a prolonged struggle, forest officials managed to surround it with a net, with villagers also pitching in to assist with the operation.
The crocodile was eventually captured safely, bringing relief to residents who had gathered at the scene.
A forest department official said the team had reached the village after receiving information from residents and managed to safely capture the crocodile after a significant struggle. The reptile was being kept in a safe location and would subsequently be released into the Kosi River.
The incident has raised fresh concerns among residents of the largely farming-dependent community, many of whom regularly travel to their agricultural fields. Villagers said the presence of crocodiles around farms and residential areas poses a potential threat to people going about their daily activities.
Residents also recalled the devastating Kosi floods of 2008, claiming that several crocodiles were washed into the region from Nepal during the disaster. Since then, they said, crocodile sightings have periodically been reported in the area.
According to villagers, there have also been several previous instances in which people narrowly escaped encounters with crocodiles.
Following the latest sighting, residents urged the forest department to take long-term measures to address the recurring problem and step up surveillance in vulnerable areas.
They also called for adequate equipment and resources to be made available so that authorities can respond swiftly to future crocodile sightings and rescue operations.