15 croc eggs found lying in open on river bank

Vadodara: Amid the untimely deaths of eight crocodiles in the Vishwamitri, over 15 eggs of a crocodile were found lying in the open on the river bank on Sunday morning. The authorities have decided to leave the eggs in the same condition despite the fear of predators preying on them.

During the ongoing de-silting work in Sayajigunj area, some personnel spotted the eggs and informed VMC officials, who then notified forest officials. The authorities were in a quandary as they tried to figure out what steps they could take to protect the eggs. The forest department, however, decided to leave the eggs there in the open.

"It is possible that the eggs may have been dug out of the crocodile's den by some predator, possibly a mongoose or a monitor lizard. They seemed to be in good condition. So we informed the forest department to discuss what can be done to protect the eggs," said Pratyush Patankar, Sayajibaug zoo curator.

"We also offered the option of either incubating them artificially. But the forest department decided to let the eggs be in their natural environment without being disturbed," Patankar told TOI.

A forest official said, "Some predator may have taken the eggs out of the den. But it is better to keep them in their natural habitat, so we asked the VMC to not touch the eggs. We have asked them to cordon off the area and not let any human walk around the eggs. The mother crocodile will take care of her eggs."

The VMC men working in the area, though, did not spot the female crocodile that never leaves her eggs unprotected.

When asked if the exposed eggs could easily become any predator's food, the forest official said, "The mother reptile knows how to protect its eggs. Let nature decide."

Well-known herpetologist, Dr Raju Vyas, who has done research on the crocodiles, said, "Crocodile is a protected species under Schedule 1, so leaving its eggs as they are was not a good idea. The authorities should have either taken the eggs for artificial incubation or made more efforts to ensure that they should not be harmed."

"It is possible that the mother crocodile may have gone some distance due to the disturbance caused by the de-silting project. If the female reptile does not turn up at the den, then the eggs might be easily preyed on by some animal or bird."