Hyderabad, November 16: Even as the rescue mission completed a week, Bhaskar Reddy, land owner of the plot where the crocodile has made its home, has been spending around Rs 7,000 to 10,000 a day for its ‘safety’.
An estimate by forest department officials suggests an average of Rs 65,000 to 70,000 has been spent by the land owner and the forest, tourism, water works departments. According to forest officials, Bhaskar Reddy readily agreed to fund the water draining process to able to resume his construction work at the site.
Attempts to rescue the reptile began almost immediately after forest department officials were informed on November 8, when the crocodile was first spotted at the pond in Nanakramguda.
Two rescue teams set to work next day by using paddle boats and later on motor boats. However, after a day long of trials of luring the reptile or trying to catch, they realised rescue was possible only if the entire water was pumped out. Four diesel pumps of 10 HP capacity were installed. Another four electric pumps were brought later to expedite the process.
So far, nearly Rs 10,000 has been spent on pumping, boats and manpower on a daily basis.“While 15 to 20 feet of water was pumped out by Monday afternoon, an estimated six to eight feet is still remaining. By Tuesday afternoon or evening, teams will begin the rescue mission,” said Raidurgam police sub-inspector G Suresh.
“An assessment of possibilities of where the reptile can be caught and how to go about it was made today.
The pond is not uniform at the bottom leading to different levels of depth,” said curator of Zoological Park, MA Wahid.
Two rescue teams from the Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary and the zoo have been preparing for the rescue operation and weighing their options of using tranquilizers, manual force or netting the reptile. However, they don’t know the exact length of the crocodile and will decide on the method only after seeing the reptile.
–Agencies