The Bagerhat district administration has decided to relocate the lone crocodile living in the pond adjacent to the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan Ali in Bagerhat to the Sundarbans, 22 years after it was introduced there.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting on Tuesday night following two fatal incidents involving the crocodile and growing concerns over the safety of devotees and visitors.
Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner Gholam Mohammad Baten, who chaired the meeting, said the crocodile would be transferred to the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in the Sundarbans. Security and surveillance around the shrine have also been strengthened.
East Sundarbans Divisional Forest Officer Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said a team of experts from Khulna would visit Bagerhat on Tuesday to assess the situation and determine the method and timing of the relocation.
The move follows the death of seven-year-old Fatema Akter, who was attacked by the crocodile while bathing in the shrine pond on Monday. The child was dragged underwater, and her body was recovered the following morning. Earlier, on April 8, the crocodile also attacked and killed a dog at the pond.
The incidents triggered concern among local residents, visitors and devotees, prompting authorities to act.
The historic pond at the Khan Jahan Ali shrine has been associated with freshwater crocodiles for centuries. According to local tradition, a pair of crocodiles was released into the pond after it was excavated by the saint to prevent people from polluting its water. Their descendants reportedly inhabited the pond for nearly 600 years.
After the original crocodile lineage became extinct, the Ministry of Environment and Forests brought six crocodiles from India's Madras Crocodile Bank in 2004 and released four into the pond. Three later died, leaving only one surviving crocodile.
The remaining crocodile frequently wandered into nearby residential areas, reportedly entering local ponds around 90 times in search of a mate. It was most recently rescued from a pond in February 2025 and returned to the shrine.
Caretaker Fakir Jamal Hossain said the crocodile had lived alone for years and that many visitors considered seeing the animal an important part of their visit to the shrine. However, he said the recent deaths had made its relocation necessary, although the absence of a crocodile may disappoint some visitors.