Agra, Jul 29 (IANS): A five-foot long mugger crocodile lost its way and was found wandering in a village in Firozabad district.

Shocked villagers in Nangla Chattu village promptly alerted the forest department which called experts from the local NGO Wild Life SOS. The reptile was successfully rescued and later released into the wild.

The fazed crocodile was a source of curious attention. A big crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the crocodile. After ensuring that the on-lookers were at a safe distance, a team of forest officers and Wildlife SOS rescuers who were geared with the necessary equipment safely carried out the rescue operation. The crocodile was deemed fit and later released into a suitable habitat.

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, "The crocodile had reached the village through a canal leading up to the agricultural fields. We aim to reduce conflict by making people aware of the reasons which force the crocodiles to venture into man-made habitats, and by helping them understand the behaviour of these reptiles. These steps are indispensable to avoid any sort of human-crocodile conflict in the areas."

Baiju Raj M.V, Director Conservation Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, "Mugger crocodiles are found in freshwater habitats including ponds, rivers, lakes and marshes and they can migrate considerable distances over land in search of more suitable habitat. We are happy to assist the forest department in mitigating man-animal conflict situations"

Surendra Saraswat, Range Forest Officer, Jasrana, said, "We are glad that the crocodile was safely rescued and released into a more suitable habitat where it can thrive."

The Mugger crocodile, (Crocodylus Palustris) also called the Marsh crocodile, is native to the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Burma, Pakistan and some parts of Iran