Crocodile ‘empathy’? Crocs shown appearing to save the life of a stray dog in Indian river

The moment three crocodiles spare the life of a dog - and even appear to save its life - has been caught on camera.

Researchers in India have published a scientific article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa featuring photos of what they say appears to be mugger crocodiles rescuing the stray dog in the the Savitri River in Maharashtra on an unspecified date.

The researchers reported that the young dog had been chased into the river by a pack of feral dogs.

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Three crocodiles were then observed nudging the stray dog back to a safe area on the shore, rather than eating it.

The study looks into the behaviour of the crocodiles that inhabit the Indian subcontinent - which are different to the crocodiles found in Australia - and discusses whether they are “more cognitively advanced than initially thought”.

“A young dog probably having strayed beyond its territory was chased by a pack of feral dogs,” they wrote.

“(The dog) sought refuge by entering shallow water of the river.

“What initially seemed to be a classical predatory instinct of the (crocodile), soon turned out to be a more docile behaviour by two of the three crocodiles that guided the dog away from the site.”

The research paper goes on to question if this is a case of cross-species emotional empathy.

However, researchers’ opinions are divided due to there being “little research” on the subject of the mental capabilities of reptiles.

“The curious case of a dog ‘rescued’ by the group of crocodiles reported here seems more on lines of empathy than altruistic behaviour,” they wrote.

“However, there is little research done on such mental faculties of reptiles and this paper opens novel vistas of understanding behaviour of muggers in general and that of Savitri River in particular.