Mumbai: Crocodile ventures out of Powai lake, then returns; creates panic among some onlookers

Representational Image. Pic/Pixabay

A crocodile was spotted outside Powai lake in the eastern part of Mumbai, which caused panic among some people who passed by the waterbody, a police official said, reported news agency PTI.

It was spotted on Sunday night, after which the police control room was alerted, he said.

"A forest department team along with personnel from the RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare) arrived at the spot since a crowd had gathered. The crocodile soon moved into the Powai lake by itself," he said, reported PTI.

"The crocodile may have been looking at a site to lay eggs. We are monitoring the area," RAWW functionary Pawan Sharma said, reported PTI.

Earlier, in January, a decomposed carcass of a leopard was found in the forested area of Aarey Colony in suburban Mumbai, a forest official said, reported the PTI.

The forest authorities had undertaken a combing operation after three leopard cubs were found in the area.

According to the PTI, the staff found a decomposed carcass of a leopard within the radius of the site where cubs were found abandoned, said Pawan Sharma, founder and president of the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and the honorary wildlife warden with the forest department.

Rescue teams have been monitoring the site for the mother leopard. The animal has not been captured in the camera traps set at various trails at different locations, he said.

The carcass found on Sunday is intact and examined by veterinarian Dr Vinaya Jangle of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SNGP) to rule out hunting or poaching, Sharma said.

The identity or gender of the animal could not be ascertained due to the state of decomposition, he said.

Samples taken from the carcass have been sent for DNA analysis, the official said.

The cubs found last week are housed at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park's rescue centre, he said.

Meanwhile, three live CCTV cameras with night vision features are already active in the area to keep tabs on the cubs' movements and to check if their mother appears. Additionally, the forest department has deployed staff at strategic locations to prevent anyone from entering the area where the cubs are located. Camera traps are also active in the area to monitor leopard activity.

(With inputs from PTI)