Sangli grappling with rising incidents of crocodile attacks There are 65 crocodiles along a three km stretch of six villages alone, with 120 in the Krishna river flowing through the entire Sangli district. With the rise in attacks since 2016 and the recent incident, the authorities have asked the villagers to be vigilant. A few days ago, Akash Maruti Jadhav, 12, a student of a school in Karnataka, came to visit his parents in Mauje Digraj village in Maharashtra’s Sangli district during his school vacation. On Thursday, he accompanied his mother, Soman, and sister, Amita, to wash clothes along the banks of Krishna River in the afternoon. Around 1.30pm, as he was playing near the water, Soman suddenly heard a loud splash and Akash’s screams. The boy has been dragged into the river by an eight-foot-long crocodile. This was the first crocodile death reported this year in Maharashtra. Last year, two deaths were recorded in February and April in Maharashtra. There are 65 crocodiles along a three km stretch of six villages alone, with 120 in the river flowing through the entire Sangli district. With the rise in attacks since 2016 and the recent incident, the authorities have asked the villagers to be vigilant. “Akash’s death was a clear case of crocodile attack, as the boy’s leg was inside the crocodile’s mouth for almost two hours. The crocodile did not eat his body parts. We found his body on Friday, after searching for 24 hours,” said Manoj Koli, range forest officer, Sangli. “Locals have been asked to avoid entering the river, if they spot a crocodile with three kilometers of the site. The death of the 12-year-old boy is a grim reminder of the conflict. As the crocodile mating season is on, we need to be extra careful,” said Abhijeet Chaudhari, collector and district magistrate, Sangli. A crocodile spotted in the trees around the Bhilewadi ghat. Attacks take place between March and June every year, as it is the mating season and the crocodiles are protective about their habitat and lay eggs on the banks of the river. ( Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo ) Marsh crocodiles or muggers are freshwater reptiles abundantly found in Maharashtra. Males are 12-15-ft long, while females are smaller. On sensing any threat to their habitat, they can attack or kill swiftly and dash much faster than estuarine crocodiles. Crocodile attacks have been happening since the 1990s, but the number has risen significantly over the past five years, said Koli. After the warning, the fishing community along the river fish only at night, using high-intensity lights and large circular boats aligned with metal at the base. Fishermen of Bhilewadi have started the fishing at night to avoid attacks by crocodiles. ( Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo ) “Attacks take place between March and June every year, as it is the mating season. They are protective about their habitat and lay eggs on the banks of the river,” he said. “We have stationed forest labourers across every village to warn locals and raise an alarm about impending attacks.” Gangubai Bhanuse(L) looks on as Rekha Bhanuse (R) poses with a picture of her husband Sanjay Bhanuse who died in crocodile attack in Tung village, Sangli. ( Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo ) Villagers have devised their own ways of keeping themselves safe. Forty seven-year-old Kalpana Jalindar Kadam, whose hand was bitten off by a crocodile near Sukhwadi village last year, is wary every time she hears any movement in the river. “I was washing utensils when the incident took place. Luckily, I reacted quickly and saved my life. We now clean clothes or wash utensils only in a group of at least seven and sit in a huddle with our backs to the river,” she said. Forest department has made wire compound for the villagers of Chopdewadi to wash clothes and utensils in Sangli. ( Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo ) “Since 2008, six of my relatives have been attacked and I lost an uncle to a crocodile attack in 2016,” said Tanaji Bhoi, Sukhwadi village leader. “Now, we strap on bright lights to our heads while fishing at night. The crocodiles are blinded by these bright lights and can’t overturn our circular metal based boats. The forest department has not been able to mitigate the conflict apart from basic awareness drives,” said Bhoi. A study has been planned to assess crocodile numbers. “We are roping in experts to ensure conflicts are resolved at the earliest,” said Nitin Kakodkar, principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife), Maharashtra forest department.