Video: Rescuers Free Baby Crocodile Entangled in Net
For Immediate Release:
February 18, 2021
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
A new PETA video shows the moment when a rescue team from India’s Animal Rahat cut a baby crocodile free from an abandoned fishing net that had become wrapped around the animal’s mouth and body.
Locals first spotted the ensnared crocodile in a river, and after having trouble freeing the animal, they called rescuers for backup. Animal Rahat managed to cut and remove the net and received permission from forest department officials to release the baby crocodile in another area about 30 minutes away, since the river where locals found the animal was too polluted with fishing nets.
“Thanks to Animal Rahat and the locals who took swift action, this baby crocodile can splash about free and safe,” says Animal Rahat Chief Operating Officer Dr. Naresh Chandra Upreti. “The public is doing away with plastic bags and even plastic straws—next is learning about the role that fishing gear plays in harming wildlife.”
Some 640,000 tons of fishing “ghost gear” enters the world’s oceans every year and can mutilate and kill marine animals for decades afterward. Scientists have warned that within 30 years, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.
Animal Rahat (“rahat” means “relief” in Hindi) is run by a dedicated staff that includes veterinarians, veterinary assistants, animal caretakers, and a community educator. More information about the group’s work is available here.
