Crocodile feeding on goat caught on camera in Sundarbans

A crocodile is feeding on a goat in Dhangmari Canal inside the Sundarbans. This grab is from a video made by a tourist via UNB

Bagerhat, Aug 2 - Days after videos of Bengal tigers roaming the Sundarbans drew widespread attention, a tourist has captured rare footage of a saltwater crocodile feeding on a goat in the world's largest mangrove forest.

The 27-second video was recorded on Saturday noon near the Ghagramari Forest Office in the Dhangmari Khal under the Sundarbans East Division.

The footage, captured on a mobile phone by a tourist travelling through the area, shows a crocodile eating a goat in the canal. After being shared on social media, the video sparked concern among tourists planning to visit the Sundarbans.

Tiger sightings in the Sundarbans have frequently been recorded by tourists and forest officials in recent weeks.

Saltwater crocodiles are native to the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans, and sightings are not uncommon.

According to the Forest Department, 209 crocodiles born at the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre were released into the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans between 2011 and 2023 to help strengthen the wild population.

Md Sakib Hossain, owner of the Bonbibi Resort in the Ghagramari Khejuria Ghat area, said a group of five tourists arrived at the resort on Friday.

"On Saturday around 12pm, they were travelling by country boat to Karamjal when one of the tourists spotted the crocodile feeding on a goat and recorded the scene on a mobile phone. The video later spread on social media," he said.

Sakib said the Dhangmari Khal runs close to nearby villages, where goats and cattle often come to graze or drink water.

"Sometimes crocodiles drag goats into the canal. Such incidents occur from time to time," he added.

Shah Mohammad Abdullah, in-charge of the Ghagramari Forest Patrol Outpost under the Sundarbans East Forest Division, confirmed that the video was recorded in the Dhangmari Dolphin Sanctuary area and was later shared with forest officials.

He said it could not be confirmed whether the goat was killed by the crocodile or whether it was already dead before being eaten.

"Goats sometimes come to the canal to drink water and may be attacked by crocodiles. At other times, villagers dump dead goats or cattle into the canal. So, it is not yet certain whether the crocodile hunted the goat," Abdullah said.

Azad Kabir, in-charge of the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre, said crocodiles naturally inhabit the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans.

He said the breeding centre currently houses 79 crocodiles, including three aged between 36 and 46 years, while the remaining 76 are between three and 10 years old.

However, Kabir said the exact number of crocodiles currently living in the wild in the Sundarbans is not known.

The crocodile footage comes amid a series of recent wildlife sightings in the Sundarbans.

On July 26, forest staff recorded a Bengal tiger swimming across a river at Tiger Point in the Kochikhali Wildlife Sanctuary under the Sarankhola Range.

Earlier, on July 24, another tiger was seen roaming near a Forest Department office in the Andharmanik tourist area under the Chandpai Range, with forest staff capturing the scene on mobile phones.

Forest officials said tourists and staff have reported several tiger sightings across different parts of the Sundarbans in recent weeks. - UNB