Human-crocodile conflict and attitude of local communities toward crocodile conservation in Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, Odisha, India

Where conservation programs aimed at rebuilding depleted populations of saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) have been successful, incentives for local people to support ongoing conservation action have been undermined by increasing rates of human-crocodile conflict (HCC), involving fatal and non-fatal attacks on people and livestock. In this study we report on HCC within the 672 km2 Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS), Odisha, India. Forest Department contain records of 51 attacks on people and 57 on cattle over 21 years (1996–2016). Human attacks were both fatal (45%) and non-fatal (55%), and were highest in the monsoon season (63%) and summer (23%) and lowest in the post-monsoon (10%) and winter (4%). The activities of people attacked were: domestic chores and crossing rivers (32%), defecating (24%), Bathing (22%), fishing (10%), paddy cultivation (8%) and grazing cattle (4%). Attacks on males (70%) were more common than on females (30%). No attacks on young children (0-10 years-of-age) were reported, and the most common age of victims was 40–50 yr (29%) and 20–30 yr (26%). Semi-structured interviews with the main household earning member in villages on the periphery of BWS (n = 57), revealed there was no notable influence of age, gender, and education on the perception and attitude of the local community but people who were affected negatively from the conflict tended to be negative toward the conservation of saltwater crocodiles. The findings of this research aim to serve the planning of mitigation strategies for future human crocodile conflicts in Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.