The not too elusive crocodile Mt.Abu

The elusive crocodile Mount Abu.

I had written about the sudden appearance of a crocodile in Nakki Lake in the month of October 2006, and its subsequence disappearance. I remember vividly how it caused a big stir amongst the authorities and the local populace at large. It affected even the tourists as they were too shy to go for their pleasurable boat ride in the lake. Well, it’s been a repeat this year as once again a crocodile has found its way into the bosom of the lake. The local newspapers are having a ball splashing their photographs all over the front page.

I go daily to see if I can get a snapshot of this not-so-big crock, but so far have been out of luck. I chitchat with the local forest personnel deputed on duty at the lake for the lookout of the crock. He tells me he has not seen the crock from the time they deputed him. When I spoke to some locals living around the lake I got some very conflicting views. One told me that the crock the other day made a meal of a black cat that had gone down to the water’s edge, another told me that a group of young men drunk as lords while on a round of the lake late at night encountered this croc on the road and one of them with some Dutch courage went to catch it by the tail, but apparently, the crock dashed into the bushes at the side of the road, some tale.

The crocks this year have left their haunt in Trevor’s Tank, because of the better-than-average monsoon season for greener pastures. One croc has made a home in a small water body (Santsaravor) opposite the Heritage Palace Hotel. The one in the lake must have also migrated from the sanctuary to the lake. Eventually, it will make its way back to its home in the sanctuary's heart.

Took this snap at Mid-day on the 9^{th of} October 2010

The wandering Crocodile Mt. Abu

The Wandering Crock

This is my temporary domain

Santsarovar water body opp Palace Hotel

The crocodile you see above is probably from the heart of the sanctuary “Trevor’s Tank”. Every monsoon this wandering crocodile make his way to a small water body called ‘Santsarovar’ opposite the Place Hotel. This small water body is adjacent to the ‘Santsarovar’ temple, the priests and the students that live there are at home with this crock as he is a non- interfering creature. When the water level recedes during the summer months this nomadic creature makes its way back to the Trevor’s Tank overnight a distance of about 3 odd km

Mount Abu THE ELUSIVE CROCODILE

A Crocodile, in the placid Nakki Lake, has been making headlines in the local news of Mount Abu, It’s been sometime now that one of the world’s greatest predators should have made it’s way into the lake which is the hub of tourist attraction .Boating had come to a grinding halt as physiologically the tourist populaces have a morbid fear of this wily predator. The local authorities had been working around the clock to ensnare this crocodile but were not able to lure this sleek crock into their iron cage or their nets spread out along the banks of the lake. Crocks were introduced into Abu some years ago after this beautiful hill station was declared a sanctuary in the early sixties. Crocks were put into Trevor’s tank some years ago, probably as a tourist attraction, or who can tell as an experiment to see how well they adapted to this terrain. This crock I believe had made its way from a shallow lake near Palace Hotel called “Sant Sarovar”. The monsoons this year were way out, Abuites were really thankful to the rain gods for the respite that followed after the harrowing non-stop downpour for almost 20 to 25 days, the streams that were bone dry, are now alive with tiddlers and crabs. There’s speculation as to whether this crock will ever be netted, the special teams that were sent from one or two other places in Rajasthan left behind their iron cage and equipment and departed. The crock is having a ball of a time, a lake full of fish and now and again a goose or a duck that inhabit the lake that are fattened by the tourists.Now that the hullabaloo has finally died down life around the lake has resumed it’s normal routine. There’s speculation as to where this crock has disappeared, I visited the lake umpteen time early mornings noon and late in the evening to snap this elusive guy but did see hair no hide of him. He’s probably shacked out in the undergrowth surrounding the property of his Highness of Jodhpur (The Lake Palace). If and when he does re-appear I’ll let you folks know of it. I did take some wonderful photos of the lake and of Abu in general and have posted them on my web site http://ainsleyster.googlepages.com/home