Croc's misadventure ends well

KUANTAN: A three-meter long crocodile was captured in Teluk Chempedak on Monday night, creating fear among visitors to the popular beach near here. 

Weighing 200kg, the buaya tembaga or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) was spotted by a group of surfers around 7pm.

They thought it was a giant monitor lizard as it was trying to swim to a secluded rocky beach near an abandoned resort, about a kilometre from the main tourist spot.

 A crocodile that had been swept to sea being rescued by surfers. Several hours later, wildlife authorities released it in the river. NST picture by Shahrul Nizam Mohamad

 "It looked exhausted as the strong waves kept pulling it back into the water," said one of the surfers, Mohd Ridzuan Zainal, 28.

He and another friend tried to pull the reptile ashore but had to back off when it thrashed about and tried to whip them with its tail. They realised then that it was a crocodile.

"We managed to tie it up and cover its eyes with a towel before Civil Defence Department personnel came to help," said Ridzuan.

Kuantan Civil Defence assistant officer Mohamad Irwanis Seni said eight personnel arrived at the scene around 8pm to cart the crocodile off.

He said they handed the crocodile to the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan).

Perhilitan then released the crocodile into Sungai Soi at 1.30am yesterday.

State Perhilitan director Khairiah Mohd Shariff said the crocodile, believed to be about 10 years old, may have lost its way while swimming during high tide at the mouth of Sungai Kuantan, about a kilometre from where it was found.

She said the crocodile's main habitat was the river and it was very rare for the species to swim into the sea.

"The public should not fear going to Teluk Chempedak as the area is not a natural habitat for crocodiles," she said.


Source : NST Online
Date: December 15, 2010