Eighteen crocodiles, which were among the reptiles and animals impounded by forest officials at the Parassinikkadavu Snake Park in Kannur on Sunday, were found dead while being transported to a pond in the park, a top wildlife official said on Tuesday.
"The reptiles were found dead on Tuesday morning when forest officials were transporting them to a pond in the park," Mehar Singh, Regional Wildlife Conservator, told reporters in Kannur.
Denying that the deaths were caused by injuries while catching them, he said that it could be caused by stress.
The reptiles, mostly young, were kept confined in sacks since the confiscation and were being transferred to ponds when the incident came to notice, park sources said.
"Forest officials, who enforced the park's closure for 'violation of the Wildlife Protection Act', were accompanied by six veterinary doctors," Singh said, claiming that the creatures were caught in a 'systematic manner' and no harm was caused to them.
A white-necked stork died in captivity on Monday and veterinary doctors said that the death was caused by overfeeding.
The stork was reportedly kept confined in a cage.
Bureau Report
