Sanghar/Karachi:
Due to their unattractive appearance and their formidable body, people often feel uncomfortable around crocodiles and tend to maintain their distance. But they are not as dangerous as they seem!
There is no official survey on the total population of crocodiles in Sindh. Its presence is quite remarkable in certain areas, including Deh Akro (Hub Dam) and Nara Canal (Sukkur).
On February 28, in a remote area of the district of Sanghar, a local resident, Ajmal Das, saw a suspicious object in a water channel. Believing it was a fish, he tried to catch him. To his surprise, it turned out to be the body of a crocodile of Marsh, which, according to his statement, had already begun to break down and was emitting an unpleasant smell.
He informed the discovery of local officials of the Sindh (SWD) Wildlife Department, which quickly reached the scene and took possession of the body.
“I was already dead when we got to the place,” said Asad Marri, SWD official of the district, while talking to The Express PAkGazette. “After an exhaustive exam, he was immediately buried, since the decomposition had already been established,” he added.
According to officials, the area is not a natural habitat for crocodiles, although occasionally they are seen in water channels. There have been no reports of crocodile attacks in the region.
“No one has confirmed to see living crocodiles in the same area where this body was found,” Marri said.
Interestingly, approximately two weeks before, Marri and his team had seen another crocodile corpse approximately 30 kilometers of the current location. He suspected that it could have been the same body. “The water stream was too strong for us to recover at that time,” he explained.
According to the information of wildlife experts, there are approximately 26 species of crocodiles worldwide, but in Pakistan, Marsh’s crocodile is the most commonly found, particularly in Sindh and Baluchistan.
The Marsh crocodile body is not considered valuable in the leather industry, unlike salt water and salt water crocodiles, which are appreciated by their lasting and high quality leather.
It is known that Marsh’s crocodile is relatively inactive and is classified as an ambush predator. You can survive for up to six months without food. “It doesn’t attack humans. It’s a ‘Darvish’ [a harmless being]”” He commented on Swd’s provincial head, Javed Ahmed Mahaha. “An undeserved reputation has been won due to its unattractive appearance, but it is not as dangerous as people believe.”
“It is not an active hunter and prefers stagnant waters, such as backwaters, instead of the rivers that flow,” he added.
The crocodiles are considered scavengers, they are often enjoying the bodies of water.
“There is no demand for crocodile meat in Pakistan,” Mahar said in response to a question about whether his meat is sold in the markets. “Most people lack precise knowledge about wildlife already often spread not verified information.” Under section 21 of the Law of Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management of Sindh’s Wildlife, Crocodiles, crocodiles are a protected species.
Many animals are considered “associated” in the ecosystem, such as crocodiles and the blind dolphins of the Indo. According to Mahaha, crocodiles do not take advantage of these dolphins. “Dolphins inhabit fluid water, while crocodiles lack energy to persecute them,” he explained.
