NAWABSHAH: A seven-feet long crocodile strayed into the fields on the outskirts of Nawabshah spreading panic among the locals.

The crocodile, believed to be fully grown, strayed along with floodwaters into the fields of the village Muhammad Yousuf Dahari in the Jam Muhammad suburbs of Nawabshah.

Marsh crocodiles are believed to average 10 feet in length, while females are around eight feet. It wasn’t known whether the rescued crocodile was a female or male.

After the sighting of the crocodile, the villagers informed the town administration and the wildlife department, who escorted a team that rescuedthe crocodile and whisked it to the conservatory on a motorcycle.

The marsh crocodiles (Crocodulus palustris) of Pakistan have found a safe refuge in Sindh’s Nara valley, that includes the Nara Wetland Complex and Deh Akro-2 sanctuary.

Efforts from the Sindh Wildlife Department have resulted in locals realizing that wildlife needs to be conserved instead of harmed. The crocodiles also face a threat from poachers who capture it to for their skin that is used to fashion shoes and handbags.

Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar told Aaj Digital that this was the third instance of crocodile being rescued and released in the conservatory since the monsoon.

He added that the crocodiles found in Pakistan are freshwater species that are scavengers and do not attack to hunt prey. He added that the same specie is at Karachi’s popular Manghopir shrine that are venerated and known for their docility. “It is a scavenger and opportunist eater. It is not violent,” said Mahar.

While estimates vary about their numbers - some saying as high as 4,000 to at least 1,000

• Mahar pointed out that there had been no survey to assess the numbers. “Wildlife is extremely secretive so it is difficult to do a tally. It is not impossible but such a survey hasn’t happened in Pakistan.”

He said that the number was in excess of 1,000.

The conservator pointed out that the crocodile was also found in the Haleji lake as well as in the marshy areas around the Hub Dam.