Vadodara Municipal Corporation has banned release of stray crocodiles to Aajva lake due to highly increased figure of crocodiles already living there.

Crocodiles often intrude in to the residential areas of Vadodara. Animal right activists and Forest department men when receive a call reach to the spot and catch them. In such cases till now crocodiles were releases into the Aajva lake but now after ban in Aajva lake, according to Forest department official NL Desai, the only other options left are; Mahisagar river or Narmada canal.

According to animal right activist Snehal Bhavsar, there are 175 crocodiles living in Aajva lake. “When any new crocodile is released to this lake, it comes back from the water again due to congestion inside. This serves no purpose of release,” Says Snehal.

While crocodile group’s Ashok Pawar says “most of the stray crocodiles that are found in and around Vadodara are actually from Aajva lake. They are habitual to live in this lake and therefore they should be released there only for suitable acclimatization. If we start releasing crocodiles to newer areas, then people living around there would feel themselves in danger.”