Bhitarkanika National Park. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, Aug. 31: An estuarine crocodile killed a 28-year-old man yesterday in a hamlet located close to Bhitarkanika National Park.

The adult crocodile pounced on Dushashan Dalei near a pond in Pataparia village under Rangani gram panchayat. The crocodile had recently strayed into human habitat. Before the occurrence of the incident, forest personnel were trying to drive the crocodile away to its habitation corridors.

“Dalei’s body is yet to be retrieved. After retrieving the body, compensation claim of the deceased’s family members would be settled. Only those deaths that are reported outside the national park area are taken up for a compensation coverage of Rs 1 lakh,” said Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, divisional forest officer, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division.

“This year, we have dealt with three cases of ex-gratia compensation disbursal to families of victims killed by estuarine crocodiles. There were reports of at least three other human causalities. But those cases did not merit consideration for compensation as the victims had committed the offence of trespassing into national park water bodies for fishing and collecting fuel-woods,” said Mohapatra.

A dozen residents from villages situated close to the sanctuary under Rajnagar tehsil have been injured recently as crocodiles straying into village water bodies pounced on them.

There are official reports of saltwater crocodiles from the national park and wildlife sanctuary straying into Petashala and Kharasrota rivers. Lethal assaults by the reptiles and consequent retaliatory attacks by the men have become regular incidents in this part of Orissa. About a dozen people and hordes of domestic animals lose their lives to crocodiles every year.

Under normal circumstances, adult crocodiles do not leave their territory to chase human beings on land unlike terrestrial predatory animals, such as tiger. Most often, the mishaps occur when the victims intrude into the animal’s habitat for illegal fishing, poaching and collecting fuel-wood and honey.

The animals, in the wake of depleted food reserves in the river system, also stray into nearby rivulets and nullahs. With the water bodies located in the vicinity of human settlements, the crocodiles attack men who fish in ‘troubled waters’.