Woman escapes from jaws of death
Kendrapada: A 33-year-old fisher woman survived a crocodile attack on Thursday morning after she put up a courageous fight with the reptile for a few minutes in the Ramachandi river at Hariabanka village near Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapada district. A nine-foot-long estuarine crocodile tried to drag her into the deep. “But I fought bravely with the reptile to save my life,” said Mamata Jana of Hariabanka village.
Mamata was collecting prawn seeds in the river along with some village women when the reptile attacked her. The crocodile first grabbed Mamata’s hand. Other women heard Mamata’s cry for help and came to her rescue, said an official.
Mamata was in waist-deep water when the reptile pounced on her. She sustained injuries on her legs and hands. As luck would have it, the life of Mamata was saved as the reptile gave in after we threw stones at it, said Arati Mandal, one of the eyewitnesses . Mamata is now undergoing treatment in the primary health centre (PHC) at Mahakalapada. Mamata struggled to recount the horrifying experience. “I escaped from the jaws of the reptile by pricking its eyes,” said Mamata while undergoing treatment.
She said after pricking its eyes the crocodile loosened its grip hence enabling her to escape. Attending doctors said her life is out of danger and she is responding well to treatment.
Riverside villagers remain wary because rivers, creeks and water bodies in Biitakanika are home to many crocodiles.
The exact figures on crocodile attacks are unavailable with the forest department. But locals said at least six to 10 persons are killed or maimed by crocodiles every year. “Most of the cases are not reported, people just go missing,” said Pradip Das of Danagamala village, one of the areas hit hard by crocodile attacks.
“We warned many times riverside villagers not to enter the rivers, creeks and other water bodies of Bhitarkanika and its nearby areas as the waters are infested with 1,757 ferocious estuarine crocodile according to the reptile census report of this year,” said Bikash Ranjan Dash, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the park.
“To prevent human-crocodile conflict in the breeding season the state forest department recently barricaded around 45 river ghats around the Bhitarkanika National Park.