Mugger Crocodile
Crocodiles at Neyyar Crocodile Farm
The Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in the southern state of Kerala in India is spread over the southeast corner of the Western Ghats. It was declared as a sanctuary in 1958, and wildlife conservation started in1985. It is part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.
Neyyar or Ghee River (ghee is desi clarified butter) is almost equal to the phrase “flowing milk and honey” in India. Ghee is supposed to have all the goodness of milk. The hydroelectric project was placed in the near river which created a large reservoir the mugger crocodiles endemic to the region thrived here at one time but because of poaching and human intervention in habitat loss they have since become endangered
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| Mugger crocodile at Neyyar Crocodile farm |
The Neyyar crocodile farm is a State government project to protect the species traditionally crocodiles are feared by the local population, but the number of casualties caused by crocodiles are significantly low compared to those caused by snakes or even mosquitoes. The size of the animals is small being less than 4 ft in length most of the time.
Giant individuals are anecdotal but it is super rare to find any large crocodile in South India. This might be mainly because most of the habitats have been destroyed by human settlement
The Neyyar Lion Safari was a memorable visit. It was probably the only chance to see lions in South India in their natural habitat. Gir Lions or Indian Lions are an endangered species and the specimens in this park are old aged and injured lions. The infrastructure of the park and how it is maintained is scary but the Lions themselves seemed so docile.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neyyar_Wildlife_Sanctuary
https://www.keralatourism.org/destination/neyyar-reservoir-thiruvananthapuram/240
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