NEWINDPRESS (Orissa, India) 23 July 03 Rare ‘magar’ caught near Mahanadi
Khandapara: A five feet long rare ‘Gomuhana Magar’ (crocodile) was found in a pond of Kendua village near river Mahanadi.
The rare variety reptile can crawl at a speed of 74 km per hour (50 mph) and is strong enough to kill a man or smaller animals.
The reptile probably strayed into the pond in search of prey after floating downstream on the Mahanadi and crossing over one kilometer of land, said Mihir Pattnaik, forest range officer, Gania, who succeeded in catching the reptile unhurt with help from villagers.
Pattnaik who rushed to the village after hearing about it took more than an hour to trap the reptile in a net. Later, forest department officials released it into river Mahanadi.
Rare ‘magar’ caught near Mahanadi