BKSDA, in collaboration with the Wildlife Response Unit (WRU) team of the West Aceh Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), has relocated a crocodile trap to another site along the Krueng Meureubo River basin in West Aceh District.
"The trap, which was initially set in Pasie Aceh Tunong Village, Meureubo Sub-district, has been moved to a new location in Beuregang Village, Kaway XVI Sub-district, West Aceh District," said Acting Head of the West Aceh BPBD, Teuku Ronald Nehdiansyah, in West Aceh on Tuesday.
According to him, the relocation operation was carried out by the BKSDA Aceh Meulaboh Resort in coordination with the WRU-BPBD West Aceh team.
Teuku Ronald explained that the trap was moved to the river area in Beuregang Village, Kaway XVI Sub-district, as an effort to optimize the search for the crocodile that has caused concern among residents in the area.
"The trap was relocated because a resident recently spotted a crocodile in another part of the river," he said.
As previously reported, the presence of crocodiles along the Krueng Meureubo River, particularly in the area of Pasi Aceh Village, Meureubo Sub-district, West Aceh District, has raised serious concerns among locals who fear for their safety, especially when carrying out activities near the riverbanks.
The crocodile being pursued by the BKSDA Aceh team is a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), a protected species under national laws on the conservation of biological natural resources and their ecosystems.
Crocodile attacks have been reported from various parts of Indonesia in recent years. In February 2019, for instance, a fisherman lost an arm in a crocodile attack in the Seranggas River in Central Kalimantan.
On April 8, 2020, a saltwater crocodile killed a six-year-old boy swimming near a beach in Buru, Maluku. Local marine police later shot the four-meter-long crocodile using an SS1 V5 rifle.
On January 12, 2025, rescuers found the body of a five-year-old girl who was reportedly snatched by a saltwater crocodile in Bangka, Bangka Belitung Islands province.
According to I Made Oka Astawa, head of the Pangkalpinang Search and Rescue Agency, the deceased, identified as Chaca, was attacked while bathing in an abandoned tin ore mining pond.
Chaca’s body was found floating early morning, not far from where she was reportedly taken on January 11, 2025. Her body was retrieved and handed over to her family for burial.
Related news: Five-year-old found dead after crocodile attack in Indonesia's Bangka
Translator: Teuku DI, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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