A late-night scare in Madhya Pradesh, India, sent a woman and her 7-year-old son out the window after they woke to a crocodile with its mouth open heading toward the bed.
Villagers later said they spent the night guarding the captured reptile themselves because authorities did not come to help.
Here's what to know
At about 10 p.m. on Oct. 7, a crocodile measuring roughly 5 feet 7 inches was found inside the house in Navagaon within Bajna, according to the Free Press Journal.
The woman awoke to the reptile moving toward her bed with its mouth agape, causing her to scream in horror. With her 12-year-old son reportedly away with friends, Sitabai, a resident of the village, quickly grabbed her 7-year-old and the pair escaped through a window.
After hearing Sitabai scream, other villagers ran to the house and eventually restrained the animal with ropes. Residents then suggested the crocodile may have entered through an open door.
Although police and forest staff were alerted to the incident, no one came to help, according to the report. After taking the crocodile to Bajna and failing to find an official in charge, residents brought it back, secured it near the under-construction Mahadev temple, and watched over it until the authorities eventually arrived.
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More background
Residents told the Free Press Journal that drought and dropping water levels may be pushing wild animals like this crocodile nearer to homes. In places where people and wildlife share connected waterways, an ecosystem issue can turn into a household threat.
Drought, altered landscapes, and growing overlap between settlements and animal habitat can all increase the chances of these encounters, a dynamic explored in the BBC's reporting on why wild animals attack humans.
Where can I learn more?
Crocodiles have showed up in close quarters with people in all kinds of places.
• In Mumbai, officials took immediate action after a crocodile appeared in an urban pond.
• At Powai Lake in Mumbai, monsoon flooding drove crocodiles ashore as crowds gathered.
• In South Florida, scientists found urban crocodiles spreading through neighborhoods.
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