Satara: Men out crab-fishing run into 8-foot crocodile

The female crocodile is about seven years of age and weighs around 70 kg.

A group of men who went to catch crabs at the Tarali river in Mauje Abale village of Patan taluka, Satara, were in for a shock when they spotted an 8-foot-long crocodile around 11 pm on Tuesday.

The men informed wildlife activist and former honorary wildlife warden Rohan Bhate, who then rushed to the spot along with a team of the state forest department, including range forest officer (Patan) Vilas Kale and range forest officer (Karad) Dr Ajit Sajane.

Soon, a crowd of villagers gathered at the spot to see the crocodile. Around 12.30 am on Wednesday, Bhate and the other officials managed to catch the crocodile. They brought the reptile in a van to a forest department nursery for a medical check-up.

“The eight-foot female crocodile was about seven years of age and weighed around 70 kg. He was released at a secure spot around 12 noon today,” Bhate told The Indian Express.