Marsh crocodile caught in Jiwani released

A marsh crocodile that was caught by locals at the Kuntani Hor near Dashat River, north of Jiwani in Balochistan, was released on Sunday evening with efforts of the Balochistan wildlife department, Coast Guards, Jiwani assistant commissioner and tehsildar, and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Pakistan.

The crocodile was tied to a wooden pole by the locals before it was released by the wildlife officials 20 kilometres north of Jiwani town off Balochistan’s coast. According to a press statement from the WWF-Pakistan, crocodiles live in many coastal rivers along the Balochistan coast, including the Hub River, Hingol River, Basul River and Dashat River.

The crocodiles from these rivers are generally very huge in size and it is not uncommon to see crocodiles of four metres or more. Marsh crocodiles, scientifically known as Crocodylus palustris, are known to be distributed from southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent. “Usually, the local community does not disturb these crocodiles along rivers of Sindh and Balochistan, rather these animals are respected and even considered to be of religious importance,” read the statement.

The WWF-Pakistan said that in some rare cases, crocodiles are harmed if they appear near residential areas, but in most cases, these are caught and released at appropriate places. In Dashat River, this mugger crocodile is found downstream Mirani Dam but seldom reaches near the sea area like Kuntani.

According to Muhammad Moazzam Khan, WWF-Pakistan technical adviser, the population of crocodiles is extremely limited in the rivers of Balochistan, and their largest population existed in the Hingol and Basul rivers.

The WWF-Pakistan dispatched a team to Kuntani and approached the Balochistan wildlife department to take immediate action for the rescue of the captured crocodile. Khan stressed the need for creating awareness among local communities about protecting the population of crocodiles in Pakistan. “Globally, marsh crocodile is considered to be vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List, but the population of crocodiles faces serious threats in Pakistan because of their small size and wide distribution in harsh environments,” he said.