An 8-foot crocodile, which had entered the walkway corridor of one of the water channels at Sathanur dam in Tiruvannamalai on Tuesday, was chased away by a worker with just a stick.

The crocodile entered the path designated for tourists reportedly after being washed up in the recent flood. Due to heavy rain in the region, nearly two lakh cusecs of excess water was released into the river recently.

Dam authorities immediately alerted the public using the siren. However, a man was seen chasing the crocodile away without fear only with a long stick. The video of the man trying to get rid of the crocodile is being widely shared on social media.

Sources said the crocodile, measuring at least 8 feet long, must have entered through one such gate and entered the passage meant for tourists to walk around. They said the reptile presumably stayed on the walkway to soak in some sun.

The rapid flow of water has become a major attraction in the area after flood water was released from the dam in Sengam.

With the water level reaching 117.4 feet, which is nearly the full 119-foot capacity of the dam, huge amounts of water were released through the spillway gates continuously.