The mother freshwater crocodile living in the pond (dighi) next to the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali (RA) in Bagerhat has laid eggs, 50 to 60 of them this time. It has laid eggs many times before, but none has ever hatched. Experts say the crocodile has lost its ability to breed because of its age.

Fakir Sher Ali, chief khadem of the shrine, said he believes the crocodile laid the eggs about a month ago beside Bina Fakir's house on the east bank of the pond, and they were spotted a few days ago. The mother crocodile has laid eggs in the pond many times, but no young have ever hatched, he said.

He said that without young the crocodiles cannot multiply, freshwater crocodiles will vanish from the shrine's pond and the shrine's tradition cannot be kept alive.

Officials of the Bagerhat district livestock department and the Karamjal wildlife breeding centre have looked into why the eggs do not hatch despite repeated laying. They say the shrine crocodile's eggs are not hatching because it has lost its breeding ability with age.

Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of the Karamjal wildlife breeding centre of the Sundarbans East Forest Division, said the two freshwater crocodiles in the pond have repeatedly laid eggs but no young are produced, because they have lost the ability to breed with age.

He said there is no control over the crocodiles' food. Devotees and visitors to the shrine give them fatty meat as they please, and excess fat has built up in the two crocodiles' bellies, which is also a major reason the eggs do not hatch. Hatching would be possible if a young male and female were released into the pond, he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.