Daijiworld Media Network – Shivpuri

Shivpuri, Jul 3: In a chilling reminder of the growing reptilian threat during monsoon, a six-foot-long crocodile was found in the farmlands of Khod village under Pichore tehsil, Shivpuri district, on Thursday, alarming local residents.

The crocodile, believed to have strayed from a nearby rain-swollen pond, was discovered by farmers heading to work early in the morning. The reptile was lying motionless in a wet field, just meters from huts, until it suddenly lunged at a jackal, dragging it into the mud—a moment villagers described as terrifying.

“This could have been any one of us,” a farmer said. “We often reach the fields before dawn.”

The forest department’s rescue team was promptly called and managed to capture and relocate the animal after a three-hour operation. Despite being sluggish post-hunt, the crocodile resisted with sudden bursts of aggression, snapping its jaws wide open as rescuers worked with ropes to restrain it.

Experts say monsoon flooding in Shivpuri leads to smaller ponds overflowing, allowing crocodiles to stray far into urban and rural human settlements, posing an increasing risk each year.
Forest officials have urged the public to remain alert and report any such sightings immediately.