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Albino crocodile seeks suitable groom!
She has lived a life of isolation for three decades, but now a desperate search is on to find India's only captive albino crocodile a suitable groom!
She has lived a life of isolation for three decades, but now a desperate search is on to find India's only captive albino crocodile a suitable groom!
Wildlife officials in Orissa are having a tough time finding a mate for Gori - which means fair in Hindi, a name the reptile got for her fair complexion.
Born in 1975 under the "Rear and Release" programme at the Dangamal Crocodile Research Farm in Orissa's Kendrapada district, 115 km from here, Gori has always lived alone in a pen and has resisted attempts to pair her with a male.
"We got several male reptiles in the past so that Gori could choose one of them but it did not work," S.K. Kar, a doctor at the state wildlife department, told IANS.
Gori not only rejected all the crocodiles but also killed two of them, he said and added that sometimes the male crocodiles had rejected her.
Two years back she got into a fight with a male crocodile brought from a neighbouring state and in the process lost sight in her left eye, Kar said.
The powerful Gori measures 9 feet 6 inches and officials have been unable to find a male crocodile in Orissa similar in size and strength. "Although there are a large number of crocodiles in the state, they are either bigger or smaller," said Kar.
"We are now searching for a suitable partner outside the state. Officials of the state wildlife department have toured several zoos, including one in Chennai recently, and we hope the day is not far when she will come out of isolation," he said.
The lack of a partner has led to the reptile developing "freak" behaviour. A couple of years back her health was failing as she refused to take food. "Although she has changed her behaviour and started taking food and water, we fear she may go on fast at any time," he said.
Last year when wildlife officials wanted to release her into the wild, she stopped taking food, forcing the department to change its decision.
"We fear she may repeat her behaviour again and are desperately searching a mate for her to find a permanent solution to this problem," he said.
