The reptile was caught around 8:30 a.m. local time and released into the Lagoi Bintan Wildlife Park, which has a crocodile sanctuary, Toapaya Fire Agency head Makmur said.
The firefighters were dispatched to the coastal area after locals reported spotting a saltwater crocodile near their neighborhood around 6:40 a.m. local time on Tuesday, he informed.
Makmur urged local residents to stay alert for the reptiles, noting that his men have removed two saltwater crocodiles from the same area over the past three months.
As reported earlier, on the morning of July 22, 2024, firefighters from Toapaya sub-district removed a 3.5-meter-long saltwater crocodile from Masiran village in Gunung Kijang sub-district.
Residents had captured the crocodile at an abandoned, flooded sand mining pit in the village while fishing the previous evening. The crocodile had snatched a fish hook.
The villagers tied it up for safety and left it there until the firefighters evacuated it.
Following the removal of the saltwater crocodile, Makmur urged locals to avoid fishing and other activities at the abandoned pit as two crocodiles were still living there. Crocodiles like sunbathing at the spot on sunny days.
According to locals, the area was originally home to five saltwater crocodiles. Three have been caught and moved to the crocodile sanctuary, while two still remain.
Crocodile attacks have been reported in different parts of Indonesia over the years. In February 2019, a fisherman lost an arm in a crocodile attack in the Seranggas River, Central Kalimantan.
On April 8, 2020, a saltwater crocodile snatched and ate a six-year-old boy swimming near a beach in Buru district, Maluku. The local marine police then shot the 4-meter-long crocodile using an SS1 V5 rifle.
The Central Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) recorded 11 crocodile attacks in different rivers around East Kotawaringin district in 2020. However, the attacks did not result in any fatalities.
Related news: Saltwater crocodile removed from abandoned mining pit in Riau Islands
Related news: Two villagers survive crocodile attack in Riau
Translator: Ogen, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
