Man killed in crocodile attack

Kendrapara: A saltwater crocodile attacked and killed a 58-year-old man in Kendrapara district on Monday, a forest official said.The man, a buffalo grazer, was a resident of a village situated near Bhitarkanika National Park, the forest official said.

The crocodile attacked the man when he was crossing a creek with a herd of buffaloes. The victim was identified as Ajambar Nayak, a native of Ichhapur village under Aul block, and his mutilated body was found on the bank of Kharasrota river, said Chittaranjan Beura, the forest range officer of the park.

The next of kin of the deceased will be paid Rs 6 lakh ex gratia in accordance with the government’s compensation policy for humans killed by protected wild animals.The man-animal conflict near Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district has assumed alarming proportions in the recent past with the estuarine crocodiles killing nine persons in the last year, another forest official said.

According to wildlife experts, the conflict and consequent loss of human lives are most frequently recorded during the monsoon and winter months, the nesting season of the estuarine crocodiles.According to government data, the saltwater crocodile population in Bhitarkanika has increased from 96 in 1975 to 1,811 in 2024.