Cyclone Michaung: 'Mugger' crocodile spotted on road near Chennai as heavy rains lash city, adjoining areas

A viral video of a 'Mugger' crocodile crawling on a road in Perungalathur off the highway connecting Chennai with Tiruchirapalli on Sunday night has gone viral amid heavy rains lashing the city and its suburbs under the influence of Cyclone Michaung.  

The purported video showed a Mugger crocodile crouching on one side of the road on the Perungalathur-Nedungundram road. The video shows the reptile on one side of the road about to crawl down the edge of the road when a motorcyclist passing by slows down his vehicle to see the crocodile crawl away.

Perungalathur has been one of the worst affected areas in the city due to the continuous downpour since Sunday night.

As the video created panic, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department said there was no possibility of harm to humans if animals are left alone and unprovoked. 

 “Many are tweeting about this video. There are a few mugger crocodiles in several of the water bodies in Chennai. These are shy elusive animals and avoid human contact,”  Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Forests & Environment), said. 

The reptile had come out as the water has overflown due to massive rains under the impact of Cyclone Michaung, she said, appealing to people not to go close to water bodies. 

 “No need to panic. Wildlife division has been alerted and they are on the job to avoid any untoward incident,” the bureaucrat added.