Berhampur: A six feet long crocodile that had got swept in canal water and entered the paddy field in a village of Ganjam district was caught and released in safe place on Saturday.
The villagers of Talasingi under Kaithakhandi panchayat in Digapahandi block first spotted the crocodile in the crop field of Simanchal Panigrahi in the morning and informed the Forest officials.
The Forest officials along with police personnel went to the spot in Talasingi. They caught the crocodile and took it to release in Ghodahada Dam, 12 km from the village.
Digapahandi Ranger Pramod Khadagray said the four-year-old crocodile got swept across from Ghodahada Dam through connecting canals.
According to Forest department sources, as many as 8 crocodiles have been rescued from the villages adjoining Ghodahada Dam including Buripadar, Sankarkhali, Kaithakhandi, Khamarigaon, Golanda, Sevaka, Tikarapada, Lunulunia and others during the last two years.
The sources further said many crocodiles from the dam have got swept to the ponds and other water bodies of adjoining villages. There are more than 15 crocodiles in the villages, according to a report of the Crocodile Census of the Forest department.
