Bhor Saidan (Kurukshetra), November 30
What started as an effort to preserve the wildlife has turned into a ‘gnawing’ problem for the Haryana Forest Department. The increase in population of crocodiles at the only Crocodile Breeding Centre north of Delhi, has forced the authorities to withdraw all external care of the reptiles, so that the population remains stagnant.
Well-placed sources in the Forest department inform that they have stopped artificially regulating temperature around eggs of the reptile during its breeding days from March to April, so that the eggs do not mature. Whenever the temperature rises above normal, during the breeding season, the caretakers of the park no longer sprinkle water on the pits where the eggs have been laid. This ensures that the eggs do not mature and youngs (baby crocodiles) of the reptile are not born.
Cannibalism is also a habit with all three female crocodiles in this Breeding Centre. Mr Bhoop Singh, Wildlife Guard at the Centre, says the female crocodiles eat the weak young, after the eggs hatch. “The survival rate of the youngs is low, and with the mothers eating its weak youngs, the population is automatically kept under check,” he informs.
“We have withdrawn outside support so that the eggs do not hatch if the weather is not conducive. Over the years, the population of these reptiles here has increased by over 100 per cent, and we have neither the infrastructure nor resources to support these reptiles,” admits a senior official of the department. Since the normal life span of a crocodile is about 100 years, he says it is important to keep a check on the population.
The park is located in a six-acre piece of land here, adjoining the Bhureeshwar temple — one of the main pilgrimage sites in Kurukshetra. The pond, spread over four acres, was once a property of the temple, and was considered a revered place. The first priest of the temple, Baba Jamuna Gir, had brought a pair of crocodile youngs and released them in the pond in the early 1930’s. The crocodiles multiplied and were 11 in number when the pond was acquired by the Wildlife Department in 1987, after crocodiles from the pond would venture into nearby fields, along the Pehowa-Hisar road.
Since its acquisition, the area of the pond was increased to four acres, and a wiremesh has been erected all around the pond. Easy availability of food (fish) in the pond — thanks to the caretakers sprinkling about 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh fish seeds each year, and about four quintals of Common
Carps, at least three times a year — has led to the crocodiles growing in number. As of now, there are 11 males, three females and 10 youngs in the pond, and each of these reptiles consumes about 1.5 kg of fish a day.
The thick growth of water hyacinth on the surface of the pond has also led to the lower oxygen levels in the water for the reptiles and their feed (fish). Though regular efforts to remove water hyacinth are made, it remains a futile exercise. Wildlife experts say the management of the Centre needs to be reviewed and after removal of water hyacinth organic manure can be added to the pond for the fish, which after consuming the manure will grow faster.
Officials say a few years ago, they had made efforts to transport the crocodiles for better upkeep, from the pond to the Bhiwani zoo. The local villagers did not allow them to shift the reptiles because of their religious sentiments attached with the crocodiles in the pond. There is a proposal to shift the crocodiles to Crocodile Breeding Centres in Orissa, but the cost economics (transportation in special crates loaded in trucks) is forcing the Forest Department to “wait and watch” for the population control to take place on its own.
