Crocodile enters Narayanganj's residential area, remains untraced for 5 days
The administration is now considering using chickens as bait and draining the pond to locate the crocodile.
A crocodile spotted in a residential area of Narayanganj's Bandar upazila on 19 September remains untraced, with rescue teams unable to locate it despite searching the area and authorities warning locals to stay alert.
Locals saw the crocodile enter a pond in the city's Trigaon area that night. Rescue teams have searched the area for two days but have yet to locate it.
The pond is covered with water hyacinth, making it difficult for rescuers to locate the crocodile. Locals say they have been avoiding the area out of fear.
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On 21 September, members of rescue teams from the Forest Department, Department of Livestock Services and Wildlife Conservation and Security Office cast nets in the pond to catch the crocodile, but found no trace of it.
The administration is now considering using chickens as bait and draining the pond to locate the crocodile.
Speaking to the Business Standard, Bandar Upazila Livestock Officer Al Mahmud Hasan said, "We have not been able to determine where the crocodile is. We are keeping regular watch to find out whether it is still in the pond or has moved elsewhere.
"Locals have been warned. If anyone spots the crocodile anywhere, they have been asked to inform us immediately," he added.
Bandar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shibani Sarker said the administration had issued a special public notice to warn locals and made announcements through loudspeakers in the area.
"Forest officials are trying to locate the crocodile. If anyone sees it, they have been advised not to approach, disturb, or chase it and to contact the authorities immediately," she said.
The Forest Department has also been unable to determine how the crocodile reached the area.
Bandar Upazila Forest Officer Kamrul Islam said the Shitalakshya River lies to the west of Bandar and the Old Brahmaputra to the east, but both rivers are far from Trigaon.
"There is also no nearby canal connecting the locality to either river," he said.
Rubel, a salon worker who saw the crocodile on 19 September, said, "Everyone was scared when we saw it. We quickly drove it towards the pond. But we have not seen it since. People are worried about their cattle and goats and cannot leave them in the fields. Everyone is also worried about their children."
He urged the authorities to rescue the crocodile soon to ease residents' fears.
