The crocodile that had kept the Forest Department, police and zoo officials on tenterhooks after making its way into a trench at Nanakramguda in Narsinghi on the outskirts of the city all through the past week, was finally netted and shifted to
Nehru Zoological Park on Tuesday morning.
The reptile, which has been playing a game of hide-and-seek with the police and forest officials, peeking out of the water and then evading their attempts to catch it, was finally snared after the exasperated officials deployed 8 water pumps and drained the trench.
Officials said that about 80% of the trench was drained before the 6-foot long male crocodile was finally caught. The crocodile emerged out of the trench and ventured into the nearby bushes, where it was tranquilised.
According to forest officials, the crocodile is around 8 to 9 years old. Officials plan to leave it in its natural habitat at Manjira reservoir in Sangareddy, after giving it first aid at the zoo.
The crocodile, meanwhile, has reportedly become sluggish due to its prolonged submergence in the water. Crocodiles need to sunbathe in order to maintain their body temperature, and prolonged periods of being submerged tend to slow the reptiles down. In this case, the vast number of curious onlookers and the attempts by officials to net it led to the animal seeking refuge inside the water.
Courtesy: INN