Kendrapara: Baby crocodiles have broken out of their eggshells to make their way into water bodies in and around Bhitarkanika National Park, marking the culmination of annual breeding and nesting season of these reptiles.

This year, a record number of 101 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles were spotted in the national park. The increase in number of nests is the result of better of conservation measures by the state forest department, said divisional forest officer, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, Prasanna Kumar Acharya.

"The eggs started hatching two days ago and would continue for a fortnight," the officer said. The ground-level staff engaged in maintaining watch and vigil of the nests were the only ones to be able to watch the rare natural phenomenon. The fledgling crocs emerged from the shells without the mothers being close by. However, the forest personnel maintained a safe distance from the nests because human interference turns the reptiles violent and aggressive.

Female crocodiles lay 50 to 60 eggs and the hatchlings usually emerge from the nests after 70 to 80 days of incubation. However, hardly one of every hundred baby crocodiles grows to become adults as their mortality rate is very high. In the wild, the babies are mostly devoured by aquatic animals.

Adequate conservation measures by the state forest department have led to a systematic rise in the number of these reptiles over the years, claimed an official.