Internationally reputed reptile researcher HR Bustard has termed as ‘erroneous’ process of annual headcount operation of estuarine crocodiles inhabiting water bodies of Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha.
Bustard, who is credited with carrying out a successful crocodile conservation programme at Bhitarkanika, is reported to have said that the Forest Department is committing a blunder by including the baby and juvenile crocodiles in the list of enumerated animals.
Only adults and sub-adults which are of six years or more need to be covered under the enumeration, he said. The herpetologist under whose stewardship as many as 32 crocodile conservation projects were carried out during the 1970s is on a visit to Bhitarkanika. Those doing the headcount are aware that the mortality rate of baby and juvenile crocodiles is high, Bustard said, adding that the rate of survival is as low as 1 per 2,000 species. So, there is little logic in making count of the baby animals which are mostly likely to fall prey to natural predators in the wild, he observed.
According to latest census figure, 1,649 crocodiles are ensconced along Bhitarkanika water bodies, but a majority of them are not fully grown up and have not attained adulthood to survive rigours of nature, Bustard said.