Kendrapada: Panic gripped Pentha village under Rajnagar forest range in Bhitarkanika National Park on Sunday after residents spotted a saltwater crocodile in a village pond. Officials rescued the six-foot-long female reptile on Monday and released it into Bausagada river.A six-member forest team took nearly two hours to capture the crocodile using nets. It neither attacked anyone nor suffered injuries. “The crocodile is suspected to have crossed a river embankment and entered the pond during high tide,” said Rajnagar forest range officer Santanu Dalei.The incident was the 12th case of a crocodile straying into village areas around Bhitarkanika over the past 16 months. The previous incident was reported on Sept 23, when officials rescued a 10-foot male saltwater crocodile from a pond at Bhagahana village under Mahakalapada forest range.Officials said crocodiles frequently enter village ponds, creeks and canals from rivers. Residents were advised to exercise caution while using water bodies and use only barricaded ghats. “We have erected barricades at several river and pond ghats around Bhitarkanika to prevent crocodile attacks in areas used by villagers,” Dalei said.Bhitarkanika’s crocodile conservation programme, launched in 1975 by the ministry of environment and forests with UNDP at Dangamal, is regarded as a conservation success. The population rose from around 96 in 1974 to 1,858 this year, according to forest department estimates. However, residents alleged the growing population may be contributing to these incidents.