The Sathanur Crocodile Park in this district is posing a threat to tourists, forest department personnel and zoo keepers due to inadequate safety measures.
The crocodile park lacks scientifically erected enclosures for reptiles. Such enclosures would ensure safety of the tourists and sufficient space for the reptiles.
Animal lovers and experts said the enclosures available are conventional models without any protective measures such as fencing. “An average of five to six reptiles should be in an enclosure covered with good fencing. The enclosures should have small ponds and land area that provide ample space for the species to bask in the sun. The species should be segregated age and size wise which will help zoo keepers feed them appropriately and ensure the reptiles do not fight for food,” said a source in the forest department.
The zoo keepers feed the species 140 kg of beef on Mondays and Thursdays and 100 kg of fish on Tuesdays and Fridays. “There are eight to 10 big crocodiles, aged between 35 and 37 years, in four enclosures. The smaller crocodiles fight for the leftover food of the bigger creatures,” the source said, adding that the department spends `1.50 lakh on feed per month.
Seven zoo keepers and three forest department personnel man the park. They find difficult to maintain the park and guide the tourists. The park does not have informative signboards.
“Curious children try to climb over the parapet to see the deadly creatures lying close to the wall. We are worried until the children return from the park. The forest department should look into the safety arrangements keeping children in mind,” said a teacher and added that many children were disappointed as they were not able to see the reptiles since the parapet wall blocks their view. “We’re not able to see the crocodiles. The walls block our view. We were scolded by our teachers when we tried to leap over the wall to see the creatures,” said a group of students studying in class VI in a government school in Tiruvannamalai. They visited to the park on Saturday.
Officials of the forest department said the department would soon take up development work to create new enclosures for the reptiles and construct tourist-friendly facilities at a cost of `18 lakh.