Two crocodiles rescued and released in Kolhapur

Kolhapur: The Kolhapur forest department rescued two crocodiles in separate incidents on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning from Panhala and Shirol tehsils, preventing potential danger to residents. The reptiles were safely released into their natural habitat.In the first incident, a five-foot crocodile was rescued from a well at Sathve Tarf Shindewadi village in Panhala. The crocodile was found in the well belonging to farmer Sandeep Shinde, prompting villagers to alert the forest department on Tuesday at noon. A Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team was immediately dispatched to the spot.Range forest officer Ajit Mali said, "The water from the well was pumped out using a motor pump, after which the one-year-old crocodile was found stuck in silt at the bottom. Rescue team members descended into the well using rappelling techniques and captured the crocodile with a net, despite poor visibility caused by the silt. After a medical examination confirmed it was healthy, the crocodile was released into its natural habitat."Forest officials said it was unclear how the reptile had entered the well.In a second incident, an eight-foot crocodile entered a residential area at Laxmipuri, along the Abdullat-Herwad road in Herwad village of Shirol tehsil, late on Tuesday night. Forest officials from the Karvir range, with assistance from members of the World Wildlife Conservation Society, carried out the rescue and safely relocated the crocodile.Deputy conservator of forests (Kolhapur), Dhairyasheel Patil, urged people to report sightings of wild animals in distress immediately. "People should contact the nearest forest office or call the forest department's toll-free number 1926 if any wild animal is seen in an urban area," he said.