Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 3 (IANS): The forest department staff have managed to rescue a crocodile that had been caught and tied to a tree by residents of the Bhagain village in Bijnor district.

The five feet long crocodile has injuries on its belly and it is believed that the villagers had beaten it before tying it up.

Forest department officials said that the crocodile may have strayed into the village from some nearby pond.

"The crocodiles thrive in ponds and during monsoon, swollen rivers flood adjoining areas, submerging ponds in the vicinity. That is when the crocodiles swim out and stray into villages," said a forest department official.

The local people said that the crocodile had initially been spotted in a sugarcane field and was caught and tied to a tree when it ventured inside the village.

M. Semmaran, divisional forest officer, said, "A probe on how it sustained the injuries is being conducted."

According to him, there are over 750 gharials in the stretch of the Ganga passing through Hastinapur sanctuary area. More than 700 crocodiles are known to dwell in ponds in the region and come out when the water bodies get flooded.