By Manoj Kar
Kendrapara, Aug 12: After high profile Gori, a juvenile white crocodile born and bred in captivity is poised to become a major attraction of Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary.

With the health profile of Gori, country's only captive white crocodile caged in a pen of the national park, on the downslide, a four-year-old female croc has caught the attention of the state forest department for its ivory white complexion.

In fact, the young croc is fairer in colour than the famous 28-year-old Gori. Presently it is housed in one of the enclosures of Crocodile research center at Dangmal.

“We are planning to release the young croc to a pond amid natural environs,” said Prasanna Kumar Behera, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) forest division.

“We pin the hope that the young croc that is yet to be named would become a major attraction for visitors and tourists,” Behera said.

Now Gori is visibly restless. It's not as mobile as it was sometime back. Signs of wear and tear are too glaring to escape notice. Though still young, the youthful exuberance is badly missing in one of the prized possessions of Bhitarkanika national park.