When Akshay Shinde, a second-year BSc student at Bhavan's College, was returning from Mulund to his home in Marol on February 23, he couldn't believe what caught his eye – a crocodile basking in the sun in the Powai lake.
Shinde went home and returned with his camera in an hour, praying all the way that what could be his prize catch should be there.
To his luck, the crocodile was still in the lake and the video the 19-year-old shot went viral on social media.
It delighted locals as well as wildlife lovers, who have been increasingly complaining that the rampant pollution of the Powai lake has been getting better of these reptiles.
"As the bus was passing by Powai lake, my eyes caught this huge crocodile basking in the sun under a coconut tree close to the Rambaug area of the lake, close to the promenade. I reached home, picked up my camera and returned," said Shinde. A wildlife enthusiast himself, Shinde shot not only a video but several still images.
In spite of having his exams, he came to the lake for the next five days. One evening, he saw three more. "The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seems to be removing water hyacinth and the disturbance it is causing could be the reason for the crocodiles surfacing," he said.
He said he has been getting lot of feedback after he posted the video and photos on the social media.
Dr Parvish Pandya, associate professor, zoology department and vice-principal of Bhavan's College, said: "It's indeed a wonder that these relatives of dinosaurs have survived amid our concrete jungle. We must protect them as well as their habitat by ensuring that they have enough resources to survive and stay within their aquatic domain. The moment their food or other sustaining components are depleted, they are bound to move out."
Dr Pramod Salaskar, secretary of Naushad Ali Sarovar Samvardhini, who has done a study of the Powai lake, said that crocodiles in the lake were under threat.
"We suspect that the fresh water crocodilian population found here has dwindled. There needs to be a study on crocodiles and this lake needs to be declared as a protected area," he said.
"Crocodiles have made this lake their natural habitat for over 80 years now. They are a vital part of the lake's ecosystem but in the past two decades, a massive urbanisation has taken place around this lake," Salaskar said.
Then he listed what is needed. "There is an urgent need to construct basking as well as nesting sites in the lake for the crocodiles as the original ones have been disturbed during the beautification work."
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 "Crocodile at Powai Lake in Mumbai")
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