The recent rains in Gujarat have caused significant flooding in several districts, including Vadodara, where crocodile sightings are often documented during such weather phenomena—footage from the Akota Stadium area inundation shows one relaxing on a home’s roof!
The video, published by the Press Trust of India (PTI), zooms in on a crocodile lying on its stomach on a tin roof of a house surrounded by what appears to be neck-deep water.
Indistinct-but-excited chatter is also heard off camera as residents discuss the reptile’s unusual resting spot.
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It was one of many displaced by the rain-caused flood. Recent visuals also show a crocodile leaping over a boundary wall in a flooded neighbourhood with a dead dog in its jaws.
Meanwhile there are reports of a 10-foot crocodile’s rescue in Sama Char Rasta of Vadodara.
Yet another video, though undated, shows one taking a stroll across a lawn.
Yearly monsoon visit of friendly crocodiles to Vadodara in Gujarat. This happens every single year when the flooding river pours into the city. pic.twitter.com/8ByDJ01aCt
— ForgingIndia (@indiaemerges) August 27, 2024
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The sightings have been described as the “Yearly monsoon visit of friendly crocodiles to Vadodara in Gujarat. This happens every single year when the flooding river pours into the city.”
Urban Vadodara’s proximity to the Vishwamitri River is the main reason so many crocodiles end up in the city, without intending to. The city is located on the banks of the river, which often experiences flooding during heavy rains.
Although the Mahi river is not as close, it is also responsible for rain-caused disruptions in the region.
Although the exact population of freshwater crocodiles in India is unknown, it is estimated to be around 5,000. Of these, some 1,400 are found in Gujarat alone.
While inner Gujarat has mugger crocodiles, its coastal areas are inhabited by their saltwater species.
Encounters such as the roof-occupying reptile have increased, thanks to habitats lost to human settlements expanding into crocodile territory. Gujarat has undergone extensive industrialisation, leading to such incidents becoming more commonplace, sometimes resulting in injuries, even deaths.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for heavy-to very-heavy rainfall in the state.