Flooding due to the arrival of monsoon season likely flushed the critter out of his nearby river home
The rare sight of a crocodile strolling along a city road among vehicles has been caught on video in India. According to local media reports, footage of the reptile was recorded along the coast in Chiplun town of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.
The clip has already gone viral on social media, and was reportedly shot by a passing autorickshaw driver. The region has been experiencing heavy rainfall, and the crocodile is suspected to have crawled out of the city’s Shiva River, known as a popular haunt for marsh (or mugger) crocodiles found throughout the region, according to an NDTV report.
Last year, people in Vadodara, Gujarat, spotted a crocodile on the road near the Vishwamitri River as the monsoon arrived in the region. Forest officials then captured the reptile and released it back into its natural habitat, according to India Today.
Reacting to the video on X (formerly Twitter), one person commented that the number of crocodiles in the region is growing “exponentially” and claimed that locals’ complaints about the situation had gone unheeded by authorities. “It is we humans who have encroached into their habitat, not the other way around,” wrote another commenter.
Another person suggested that crocodiles are “harmless,” adding: “Feed them chicken and be friends with them.” Another compared the crocodile’s evening stroll to a “ramp walk.”
Muggers are typically smaller than saltwater crocodiles, with adult lengths ranging from three to four meters (9.8 to 13.1 feet). India has three species of crocodiles, and they are a common sight. However, crocodiles are also among the most threatened reptiles on the planet.
Many parts of India have been hit with heavy rains due to the onset of monsoon season. Assam, in the country’s Northeast, has been reeling under severe flooding for several days due to torrential rains causing the Brahmaputra River to swell.
According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), the floods have impacted nearly 260,000 people, leading to over 30 fatalities, local media reported. The northern states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to receive heavy rainfall in July, which could lead to landslides and floods, India Meteorological Department Chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Monday.
In the Indian capital, at least 11 people died because of sudden heavy rain. Last Friday, rains caused a portion of the roof to collapse at the newly inaugurated airport building in New Delhi, killing one person and injuring several others.
The timely arrival of the monsoon, however, is crucial for India’s economy, which relies heavily on agriculture. Rains are essential for robust crop production and stable food prices as over 50% of the net cultivated area and 44% of food production depend on monsoon rainfall.
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