Crocodile in Bagerhat shrine pond hunts dogs even on land

The crocodile in the pond adjacent to the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali (RA) in Bagerhat is adept at hunting dogs not only in water or at the pond's edge but also on land. Locals have said that the crocodiles in this pond have been coming onto land to hunt for more than a decade and a half.

A local resident, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said a dog was resting some distance away from the pond when a crocodile came out of the water and slowly advanced towards it. At one point, it caught the dog and took it into the water. About 30 minutes later, the lifeless body of the dog floated to the surface of the pond.

He further said crocodiles do not usually eat their prey immediately. They first take it to deeper water and kill it. After some time, when the prey floats up and the flesh softens in the water, the crocodile begins to eat.

According to the resident, dogs and monitor lizards are favourite foods of the crocodile in this pond.

Local residents of the shrine area said there is currently only one crocodile in the pond. Among the several crocodiles brought from India in 2005, only this one remains alive; the others have died. This crocodile used to often be seen coming onto land to hunt monitor lizards. However, with the decline in the monitor lizard population at the pond's edge, such scenes are no longer very common.

Recently, on April 8, a video of the crocodile dragging an injured dog from the pond's edge spread on social media, sparking nationwide criticism. Questions have been raised about how the dog became injured.

Locals claimed the dog had bitten several people near the pond. When it tried to bite shrine security guard Forkan Hawladar, he shook his leg, causing the dog to fall into the pond. The crocodile immediately grabbed the already injured dog and took it away. The dog's body later floated to the surface.

Demands have been raised to review the shrine's CCTV footage to confirm what exactly happened to the dog that day. Regarding the matter, the head of the investigation committee and Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Mosammat Atia Khatun said detailed information would be provided in the report after the investigation is completed.