Monsoons Bringing More Than Just Rain In Madhya Pradesh - Crocodiles

As the monsoon clouds drench Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri, they're bringing with them more than just rain - they're bringing crocodiles. With each passing year, sightings of these reptiles have increased across both rural and urban areas. From colony corners to the edges of farms and shallow village ponds, crocodiles are crawling closer to human habitats - and Thursday's incident in Khod village under Pichore tehsil is the latest reminder of this rising reptilian threat.

It was an ordinary morning in Khod's Vijaypur village, where farmers were heading to tend to their crops. But what they found instead sent shivers down their spines - a six-foot-long crocodile lying in the middle of their farmland, just meters away from the huts built beside the fields. The reptile had likely emerged from a nearby large pond swollen with rainwater, and wandered into the cultivated fields in search of prey.

The presence of the crocodile created panic in the village. Farmers who were only minutes away from reaching the spot said they could have become the reptile's target had they not noticed it in time.

Eyewitnesses recounted a chilling moment: as the crocodile lay still in the wet fields, a jackal wandered unknowingly close to it. In a flash, the crocodile snapped its jaws around the animal and dragged it into the mud. "It was terrifying," said one villager. 

The villagers immediately alerted the forest department.

The forest department's rescue team arrived quickly but faced a tough task. Although the crocodile was sluggish, having recently hunted, its sheer weight and occasional bursts of aggression - with jaws snapping wide open - made the rescue delicate. It took the team nearly three hours to safely trap the crocodile.

Eventually, with coordinated effort and ropes in hand, the reptile was captured and released into the river.

Shivpuri has long struggled with seasonal crocodile sightings. Monsoon floods cause smaller ponds to overflow, allowing crocodiles to venture far beyond their usual territory. With more rain, their reach extends into human settlements - and that raises serious concerns for public safety.