122 saltwater croc nests spotted in B’kanika: As many as 122 estuarine crocodile nests were reportedly sighted in four wildlife and forest ranges under the Bhitarkanika National Park recently by the enumerators, informed Rajnagar Mangrove (forest) and Wildlife Division DFO Sudarshan Gopinath Jadhav.
According to Jadhav, the forest personnel spotted as many as 107 nests of crocodiles in Kanika range, whereas 12 nests were spotted under Rajnagar range, one nest was spotted at Gahirmatha range while two nests were sighted at Mahakalapada.
The Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division imposed a three months’ ban, from last May 1 to July 31st, for tourists, to count the crocodile nests. This time the forest personnel also collected 42 eggs from a wild nest of estuarine crocodiles at Thanapati creek. The eggs were incubated in captivity under semi-natural conditions to hatch artificially at the Crocodile Breeding and Research centre in Dangamal.
Notably, during 2022 crocodile nesting season, the forest personnel had also spotted the same number of saltwater crocodile nests at the water bodies of Bhitarkanika National Park and the nearby rivers.
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Sevayat injured in Bahuda Yatra dies
PNS
PURI: A servitor, who had sustained injuries during the pulling of chariots on the occasion of Bahuda Yatra in Puri, died while undergoing treatment at the AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
The deceased Nakul Bhoi was a Bhoi servitor of Lord Balabhadra’s Taladwaj Rath. He was admitted to the ICU of AIIMS after he had been referred by the doctors of the Puri District Headquarters Hospital (DHH).
Sources said Nakul had sustained critical injuries after the rope of the Taladwaj Rath snapped during its pulling. He was shifted to the Puri DHH, but the doctor had referred him to Bhubaneswar after his condition worsened.
Half a dozen people had sustained injuries during the incident.