Kendrapara, July 12: A crocodile today killed a farm labourer, Banamali Bala, 40, near Patrapur creek at Jayakunda village, sparking off fresh bouts of man-animal conflict in areas near the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.

Forest officials rushed to the village in the Rajkanika police station limits, as the villagers were agitated over the crocodiles’ frequent attacks on humans. The victim’s body is yet to be retrieved.

“The incident occurred outside the wildlife sanctuary limits. The deceased fisherman’s family will be covered under compensation very shortly,” said divisional officer of the Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest Manoj Kumar Mahapatra.

There are official reports of saltwater crocodiles from the sanctuary straying into the Brahmani, Baitarani, Petashala and the Kharasrota rivers. “The crocs have unleashed terror at the villages. Over 2,000 acres of crop fields are located near the river bed. The crocs have sneaked into the waterlogged crop fields. Farmers are scared about harvesting the crops,” said former Rajnagar panchayat samity chairman Jagabandhu Nayak.

Lethal assault by the reptiles and consequent retaliatory attacks by the villagers have become a regular feature here. About a dozen people and hordes of domestic animals lose their lives each year as a result of the conflict.

The conflict and consequent loss of human lives are most frequently recorded during the monsoon and winter months, the nesting season of the estuarine crocodiles.

The adult crocodiles, under normal circumstances, do not leave their territory to chase human beings.

on land, unlike terrestrial predatory animals, such as tiger. The mishaps often occur when the victims intrude into the animals’ habitat for illegal fishing, poaching and fuel wood or honey collection.

The animals, in the wake of depleted food reserves in the river system, stray into the nearby rivulets and nullahs.