In Bangladesh the freshwater or marsh crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) is almost extinct in the wild. The last surviving members are protected by religious sanction. Thought to be the descendants of the pet crocodiles of Khan Jahan Ali (d. 1459), they live in the historic lake-like tank (Khanjali Dighi) of the saint’s tomb complex at Bagerhat near the city of Khulna. One of the most revered saints in Bengali history, Khan Jahan Ali is popularly believed to have come to Bengal riding on the backs of two crocodiles to establish the first Muslim colony in the mangrove forest of the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. According to local belief, the crocodiles in the tank are the descendants of the saint’s attendants, a few believe that the largest crocodile represents the Pir Sahib himself.

Devotees seek blessings by touching the resident crocodiles, by taking ‘holy baths’ in the fresh-water crocodile tank, and by drinking its holy water. They make pledges at the shrine by offering live chickens, goats and other animals to the crocodiles (larger sacrifices are thought to increase the chance of an entreaty being granted). The belief in the sanctity of the reptiles is reflected by the fact that, in 2009, two men who were beating one of the crocodiles with bamboo sticks were convicted of torture and sentenced to two years hard labor in jail.