HANAMKONDA: Panic gripped the colonies surrounding Hunter Road in Hanamkonda when a crocodile ventured into an open plot in Vikas Colony where a huge amount of water gathered after a bout of heavy rainfall on Thursday night.
On Friday morning, the residents of the colony discovered a crocodile in the plot. They resorted to pelting stones at the crocodile, causing the reptile to retreat into a deep, water-logged portion of the plot. Meanwhile, videos of the crocodile went viral on several social media platforms.
Locals then contacted the Forest department officials for help and informed the plot owner, Naresh Singh.Forest Range Officer (FRO) V Raju, veterinary doctor R Praveen Kumar and a group of local fishermen, armed with nets, arrived at the scene to catch the reptile.By Friday evening, the crocodile was trapped and shifted to the zoo park.
FRO Raju said that the zoo park housed a total of eight crocodiles, none of which had escaped. The park’s crocodile population consists of one male, three females, and three young crocodiles. Raju said that the crocodile found in Vikas Colony was not from the zoo park but might have originated from the nearby Bhadrakali Tank.
Recently, government chief whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar, Hanamkonda district collector Sikta Patnaik, and Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) Commissioner Rizwanbasha Shaik visited the residential areas on Hunter Road.
They advised open plot owners to take precautionary measures to prevent waterlogging, emphasising the proximity of Bhadrakali Tank and susceptibility of wild animals entering residential areas. However, Raju noted that the colony residents have not been cooperating with government authorities.