Crocodiles have undergone minimal evolutionary changes in the last 30 million years and until now have the same skills and features as their ancestors. These reptiles play a vital role in maintaining the diversity and productivity of wetlands, and extinction in an area could disrupt the ecological processes and damage the ecosystem as a whole.
That might happen soon in Kala Talab, India, in which the pond is now filled with soil and fly ash from residential construction that are killing the crocodiles in the area. Out of the known 150 crocodiles in the pond, wildlife experts said that there had been over 50 dead crocodiles already, which is alarming.
Personnel from the Vadodara Forest Department unload a rescued crocodile from a vehicle as it was brought to their shelter in Vadodara, some 110 km from Ahmedabad on August 3, 2019.
Residential Construction is Killing the Crocodiles
Local news outlet Down to Earth reported that around 50 mugger crocodiles died last month in the water body of Kota City in Rajasthan. The Kala Talab pond is connected to the Chambal river CIA a call and is rich in aquatic animals. Locals and wildlife activists alleged that the killings might have been due to developmental activities in the area.
Wildlife activist Tapeshwar Singh Bhati told the news outlet that crocodiles are abundant in the pond. However, they recently observed that the reptiles' habitat is in danger. The Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) came up with a construction project that filled up the water body with soil and flies ash to build residential colonies and parks. He added that this also kills the aquatic animals aside from the crocodiles.
However, the pond has not been declared a wetland even with its huge size. That is why the wetland laws under the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 are not applicable, giving UIT the freedom to do whatever they want in the area.
This issue is a reality in India as many water bodies and natural habitats are now in danger due to developmental activities for human settlements. Bharat Singh, a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly and the state wildlife board, claimed that UIT authorities who saw the floating carcass of a mugger crocodile just buried it to hide the proof.
But photographic evidence shows that there have been crocodile deaths in the area, although they have not sent it to authorities to conduct an autopsy and confirm its cause of death.
Human Activities Pose Threat to Crocodiles
With the ferocious jaws and body armor, most people think that crocodiles and alligators are indestructible. But human activities posed a grave threat to their existence. According to Smithsonian magazine, American alligators were at the brink of extinction in 1967 as they have joined the list of endangered animals due to habitat loss and over-hunting.
Fortunately, the species recovered to almost healthy levels. However, they remain fragile to threats. Crocodilians are sad to be facing the existential threat from problems caused by humans, like climate change, endocrine disruption, artificial canals, and the construction of human settlements.
Wildlife experts said that the more crocodiles find themselves closer to humans, the higher the human-crocodilian conflict. The crocodile deaths in India and crocodile attacks in other countries are some of the most recent examples of these conflicts that signal future disputes between the two creatures.
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