KARACHI: A marsh crocodile caught by locals in the area of Kuntani Hor near the Dasht River, north of Jiwani in Balochistan, was timely rescued by officials and later released back into the water body.

Social media users, however, expressed concern over the rescue operation after video clips of the crocodile tied to a wooden pole went viral.

The Balochistan Wildlife Department (BWD), World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P), and related agencies and officials participated in the operation.

“We immediately talked to the locals in Kuntani, asking them not to annoy or badly treat the reptile as it could get aggressive and harm them. At the same time, we contacted the BWD to take action for its rescue,” WWF-P field officer Sudheer Ahmed said.

He said that Kuntani was located 20 kilometres north of Jiwani town, off Balochistan coast.

According to WWF-P Technical Adviser Muhammad Moazzam Khan, the population of crocodiles is extremely limited in the rivers of Balochistan and the largest population exists in the Hingol and Basul rivers.

“There is a need to create awareness among local communities about protecting the population of crocodiles in Pakistan as they face serious threats due to their small size and wide distribution in harsh environments,” he said.

“Globally, marsh crocodiles are considered to be vulnerable,” he said while referring to the ‘Red List’ of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

According to the IUCN, crocodiles are known from many coastal rivers along the Balochistan coast, including the Hub River, Hingol River, Basul River and Dasht River (along the Balochistan border). In Dasht River, mugger crocodiles are found downstream Mirani Dam, but seldom reach near the sea area like Kuntani.

“Marsh crocodiles are known to be distributed from Southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent. Usually, the local community does not disturb these crocodiles along the rivers of Sindh and Balochistan, rather these animals are respected and even considered to be of religious importance,” said a press release.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2024