The reptile eats only a kilogram of boiled rice a day.
A crocodile nicknamed Babia, who settled in a pond of a Buddhist monastery in the Indian state of Kerala, has lived next to monks for over 70 years and has become a vegetarian.
The monks claim that the reptile is not aggressive at all and does not eat meat at all.
“It does not eat meat; it does not even affect the fish in the lake,” said Chandra Prakash, a local resident.
The monks feed the crocodile straight from the hands – rice is put in his mouth twice a day: at eight o’clock in the morning and at noon or in the evening.
Experts interviewed doubt that the reptile lived so long without consuming animal protein.
Zoologist Anirban Chaudhari suggested that the crocodile in the temple pond can eat mainly fish, and rice is consumed through a conditioned reflex, which it developed.
“The crocodile in the temple pond may have fed mainly to the fish there and consumed the rice as part of the conditional behavior. Add to their diet the rice balls served twice a day.”
The fact is that such carelessness should be avoided at all costs, even if the monks insist on the animal’s innocence and tourists insist on accessing and stroking it. Although the crocodile has never harmed anyone, this does not rule out the possibility in the future; after all, it is a wild and violent animal that can strike at any time.
Be that as it may, Babia has become a national celebrity and a popular tourist attraction for the refuge. Every day, a large number of tourists assemble at night in the hopes of seeing a strange pet living with the monks.
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