NGO to survey crocodiles in River Savitri

Crocodiles in Savitri river had got bad press, but there haven't been human-crocodile conflicts there. Pic/Kedar Bhide

The 2016 collapse of the Mahad bridge on Savitri river had brought to light the high number of crocodiles in the waterbody. In order to get more details about their population and habitat, NGO Organisation for Wild Life Studies (OWLS) will be starting the crocodilian survey of riverine system.

Ganesh Mehendale, president of OWLS said, "Soon, we will start the crocodilian survey along a 40-km long stretch of the Savitri riverine system to study the habitat of crocodiles. We want interested volunteers to come forward and help us in the survey. The lack of human-crocodile conflict in Mahad despite the presence of so many crocodiles is another reason why we decided to undertake this project. We might get some interesting findings, which can be implemented in areas where human-crocodile conflict is high."

The 40-km stretch will be part of the first phase of the survey and will cover the area from Mahad to Bankot, where the river meets the Arabian Sea. Groups of volunteers will conduct the survey on either side of the riverbank and collect data on the sightings of crocodiles, their nesting sites and locations where they are frequently found.

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