Kendrapara, March 25 : The locals with the help of fire tender personnel have rescued a 4.5-feet long Crocodile floating on the Chitrotpala river in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, forest officials said.on Friday. The crocodile was rescued on Thursday near Korua –based Kartakuda muth under Patkura police station. Forest official sources said while the locals were catching fish near the muth, they came across a juvenile saltwater crocodile floating on the river. Hundreds of locals later rushed to the spot to have a glimpse of the Estuarine crocodile. Fire tender personnel, on being informed, rushed to the spot and fished out the crocodile from the river. The crocodile was handed over to Rajnagar Mangrove Forest (wildlife Division) on Friday and the reptile was later released in Bhitarkanika National Park. On August 29 also the forest officials retrieved a 1.5 feet long gharial hatchling from the Paika river near Samajori village of Kendrapada district. The forest personnel of Kanika Forest Range with the help of locals had managed to nab a 15-feet long Saltwater crocodile on August 4, 2020, with the help of a fishing net from Birupa river bank at Indupur. A 12-feet long mugger was also rescued by the forest personnel on October 24, 2016 near Bilabalarampur river ghat of Luna river. The crocodiles generally stray from their natural habitation to the nearby rivers during the high tide as the salinity level increases due to the ingress of tidal water to the creeks and rivulets. The reptile moved from Bhitarkanika National Park to nearby rivers in search of less salinity water, Forest officials said. XC DP KK