Crocodiles

Know about Crocodile

Dos and Dont's when you spot a crocodile

Do's

• Be extra attentive while walking in areas with crocodiles, and avoid going too close to the water. Stay away from the water's edge
• Be careful and warn your group if you spot a crocodile. Stay calm and stay far from the animal
• Be specially vigilant in crocodile areas, avoid walking or entering, launching or retrieving boats. If you need to be on the water, use a boat and keep your arms and legs secure
• Enter areas close to riverbanks during broad daylight only.
• Keep your livestock out of reach of crocodiles by grazing them away from the water's edge or riverbed.
• If a crocodile charges from a distance, shout loudly so that nearby people can hear you, and then run or climb a tree
• Check with local people about the presence of crocodiles before entering an unknown water body
• Obey all crocodile warning signand advisory notices posted around crocodile areas and stick to designated paths
• If a crocodile is spotted in a human habitation, keep an eye on the animal. Do not engage with it. Call the forest officials
• If anyone is attacked by a crocodile, take the affected person to a hospital nearby as soon as possible

Don'ts 

• Do not feed, provoke or harass crocodiles. Avoid going very close to them as they can charge at high speed
• Don't indulge in water sports or swim in water bodies that have crocodiles
• Avoid adopting a four-legged posture in crocodile areas as you can be mistaken for a four-legged animal by a crocodile
• Do not bathe, wash clothes or perform rituals in lakes and rivers with known crocodile presence. Do not fish or collect rabs, snails, other molluscs or prawn seeds in such areas
• Avoid defecation along riverbanks
• Avoid returning regularly to the same spot at the water's edge to fill your bucket or to do your washing
• Do not throw fish waste and meat in water bodies close to human habitats, as these can attract crocodiles
• Do not venture into Crocodile Conservation Zones without permission from the authorities or without guides
• Do not go close to mud mounds near water bodies. Crocodiles lay eggs in such mounds and they guard their eggs and can attack in defence
• Do not try to attack a crocodile in retaliation. Inform the forest department officers as soon as possible

Source : Indo-German Biodiversity Programme

Related resources

• Guidelines for Mitigating Human–Crocodile Conflict