Kendrapara, June 1: Bhitarkanika National Park authorities have taken steps to ensure the safety of residents in crocodile-infested riverside villages.

The reptiles, disturbed over human interference, turn itinerant during their breeding session, said an official.

“Local people of the riverside villages have been asked to use the barricaded ghats for bathing,” said Rajnagar Mangrove & Wildlife divisional forest officer Manoj Kumar Mahapatra.

The department has engaged a group of skilled fishermen to keep the animals at bay.

First, the fishermen locate itinerant animals. Later, the group armed with boats and bamboo sticks put to use their expertise and chase the species. In the event the mission fails, they cage the crocs. Later, the animal is brought back and released in Bhitarkanika’s habitat, he said.

The crocodiles mostly stray into the villages during either in rainy season or flood. Besides high tides during low-pressure formation prompt the animals’ stray.