MIRI – A crocodile weighing more than half a tonne has been caught and killed by a Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) team.
The male creature, which clocked in at 520kg and measured some 5m, was found in a river in Kuala Tatau near Bintulu district, northern Sarawak.
It was captured using a bait and hooks.
The animal was suspected of having eaten a teenage boy in the area last month, but a dissection showed no human remains in its stomach.
Bintulu social media users posted photos of the reptile and a group of men dissecting it.
“It’s an old croc with no teeth, and no human remains were found in its stomach,” said one.
SFC officials told The Vibes that a politician asked them to hunt and kill the crocodile after it was suspected of causing the teen’s death.
Animal lovers questioned the need to have the animal dead.
SFC wildlife controller Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said it was no easy task ascertaining whether the crocodile was a man-eater.
“Research has shown that crocodiles measuring 3m and more are potential man-eaters.
“Human remains (can stay in the) stomach of these animals for a week.”
The carcass of the crocodile killed has been buried near the Kuala Tatau coast. – The Vibes, March 22, 2021
