Thirty-five saltwater crocodiles that were bred and reared at the Bhagabatpur crocodile project in the Sunderbans, around 120km south of Kolkata in the South 24-Parganas district, were released into the wild on Monday.
The crocodiles, around four years old and around 4feet in length, were hatched from eggs at the incubation centre in Bhagabatpur. They were cared for by the forest department for several months, an official in the forest department said.
Four of the 35 reptiles released on Monday are albino crocodiles, which are considered rare. They are white because of a genetic mutation, the officer said.
Milan Mondal, divisional forest officer of the South 24-Parganas division, said the crocodiles had been released into the wild at three locations - near the Kalki river, in Bhaijora canal and off Lothian island.
“We released three male and 32 female crocodiles. They were released once we got the green signal from our veterinary doctors who specialise in reptiles,” said Mondal.