Bhitarkanika’s crocodile comeback a conservation win, but villagers paying the price. How to solve this
Early on June 16, 2025, a terrible accident shattered the residents of the peaceful village of Tanladia in Aul block of Odisha's Kendrapara district. A 45-year-old woman was dragged by a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) in the shallows of River Kharasrota. After several hours of frantic search, her partially eaten body was recovered.
This marked the 10th crocodile attack-related death in the past two years in the district. As the monsoon season is in full swing, the immediate and relevant question is how to mitigate such crocodile attacks and human losses.
Once nearing local extinction, the Bhitarkanika National Park, a remarkable success story of crocodile conservation, is now home to 1,826 crocodiles according to the 2025 census by the Forest Department of Odisha. Despite its success, the human-crocodile conflicts have surged significantly over the last five years, especially along the banks of the Kharasrota, Brahmani and Baitarani rivers, which are inundating the Bhitarkanika National Park.
Sadly, what were once rare encounters have now become common, mostly during the wet season. Dozens of villagers, mainly impoverished and dependent on river resources, have been attacked while bathing, fishing, washing, or attending nature calls. In the past two years alone, 10 people have died, with the highest number of fatalities occurring during the crocodile breeding season (May-July). Despite efforts such as closing bathing ghats and running awareness campaigns, the deadly human-animal conflict continues to claim lives.
A 56-year-old man from Singiri village in Aul block died on June 6, 2024, just one week before the Tanladia incident, after being attacked by a crocodile while bathing in the same river. Later, his partially eaten body was found a few kilometres downstream. This was the eighth death in 10 months, raising concerns about the increasing presence of crocodiles in human settlements. A rising crocodile population has recently led to more frequent wandering outside protected areas, mainly during the breeding season.
A similar incident happened in Dakhinabheda village in Rajnagar block in March 2024, when the person was sprinkling water on his fields along the Hansua River. His body was discovered with serious injuries after he was attacked in front of his wife. His death highlighted the shortcomings of current crocodile control strategies.
The creeping threat is further demonstrated by the attack on a 58-year-old male buffalo grazer from Ichapur village in Aul block in September 2023. A crocodile attacked as he was crossing a shallow creek. Due to a lack of practical alternatives, many villagers still bathe and fish in open waters without protective infrastructure, even after several fatalities.
The months of June through July 2023 were especially bleak, with four fatalities from crocodile attacks in just 45 days. A 10-year-old boy was dragged underwater on June 14, while bathing in the Brahmani River near Nimapur village in Pattamundai block.
A 40-year-old woman was killed a week later in Hatiagadi village in Rajnagar block, while cleaning cooking utensils in a pond. Similarly, a 56-year-old man died on June 29 while bathing in a creek in Pattamundai block. Then, on July 27, a 55-year-old man was attacked while relieving himself close to the riverbank in Kulasahi village, Pattamundai block.
In response, the forest department has increased barricading efforts and conducted awareness drives by engaging local residents and using pamphlets and loudspeaker announcements. Despite increased barricading, attacks continued into the second year. The reliance on unprotected water sources and the lack of community safety measures are common factors in these incidents.
The crocodile attacks have a variety of reasons. Primarily, the saltwater crocodile’s population increased significantly in Bhitarkanika. Their territorial behaviour and breeding habits spread to canals, creeks, and even crop fields as their numbers increase. During breeding seasons, breeding males are especially aggressive and spread out far beyond their traditional breeding grounds.
The lack of adequate access to water for safe drinking and sanitation in nearby villages is the other factor. Due to dysfunctional tube wells or bore wells and unavailability of clean water, people in some areas, like Gagharadia village in Pattamundai block, turn to using river water. People bathe, wash their clothes, or get water from crocodile-infested areas because of this necessity. Additionally, open defecation near riverbanks is still common, putting people at serious risk. To reduce these risks, the forest department has installed warning signs, built barricades at more than 120 river ghats, and paid out compensation, which was recently raised to Rs 10 lakh for the loss of life.
However, these measures are still insufficient. Many villagers are apathetic to or choose to disregard safety advisories, and prohibitions are not always enforced during the nesting season.
A comprehensive approach is necessary to address the root causes of this conflict. First and foremost, asset construction and maintenance of appropriately fenced, designated bathing ghats along all river segments that are susceptible. These ghats should have lights, suitable announcements, and barriers that are impervious to crocodiles. Through community outreach and incentive programs, usage must be promoted.
Secondly, it is necessary to eradicate open defecation near waterbodies. Even though Odisha made significant progress during the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the most isolated and riverine village areas are still most impacted by poor sanitation. The problem can be managed by building and maintaining community restrooms and using behaviour-change messaging from women's organisations and village youths.
Priority should be given to improving the water infrastructure as well. Bore wells and solar-powered pumps can provide safe alternatives in villages. The use of hazardous river access points will decrease with a secure water supply system. Posters and announcements shouldn't be the only tools used in awareness campaigns. Children can be taught safety habits through school programs, and local capacity can be increased by educating community volunteers to serve as ‘river safety monitors.’
Last but not least, there needs to be consistent monitoring of crocodile movements and quick reaction systems for relocating problematic individuals. Penalties for unlawful fishing within the park boundaries must be strictly enforced, and forest patrols need to be increased. Kendrapara can only manage the human cost of its conservation legacy by implementing consistent, inclusive community-based interventions that are informed by science.
The saltwater crocodile, a living fossil, once coexisted with dinosaurs. It’s reappearance in Bhitarkanika is evidence of India's proficiency in conservation.
However, for those living on the edge of this wilderness, survival is getting increasingly precarious. Human safety and wildlife conservation must now be balanced with compassion, urgency and unwavering dedication.
Rutika Nath is a wildlife zoologist with Action for Protection of Wild Animals, an NGO based in Pattamundai. Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.