Kendrapara (Odisha), March 11 A 48-year-old fisherman was killed in an attack by a saltwater crocodile in a village on the outskirts of the Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district, Odisha, a forest officer said on Wednesday.
Forest and fire brigade personnel later retrieved the mutilated body from a river.
The incident occurred at Baulakani village in the Mahakalapada forest range when the fisherman, Deba Kumar Mandal, was dragged into the water by a crocodile while he was casting a fishing net on Tuesday afternoon. His body was retrieved on Wednesday, the officer said.
Although the incident occurred outside the national park limits, the deceased fisherman's family will be covered under an ex gratia compensation scheme after a post-mortem examination, Varadaraj Gaonkar, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division, said.
According to the revised ex gratia compensation for human fatalities resulting from conflict with wild animals, the forest department will provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the bereaved family, he said.
Human-crocodile conflict in areas close to the national park has resulted in the loss of four human lives in the last 12 months.
The national park is home to 1,858 saltwater crocodiles in its water bodies and river system. No crocodile death has been reported in the last one year, the DFO said.