KUCHING, Nov 12: The 800kg crocodile rescued in Limbang yesterday (Nov 11) has been put to sleep as it was found to be suffering a severe gunshot wound by a local citizen.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) revealed that the reptile has been euthanized and buried in an undisclosed location after some samples were taken for further investigation.
Its bones will be collected after the flesh rots while the SFC officers are in the midst of investigating the shooting of the animal.
The crocodile was found by the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) in a drain behind SK St Edmund yesterday after receiving an alert from the public at 10.59pm of the whopping reptile.
It was so huge that SFC had to rent a forklift to assist firefighters in lifting the giant crocodile out of the drain after it was being tied and secured.
SFC Chief Executive Officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton, on the other hand, was very disappointed with the findings that the crocodile was being shot.
“This is classified as a case of killing protected species. A crocodile in the drain does not amount to be killed as permitted or inferred in the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998.
“They (The public) should secure it from escaping and report it to the relevant authority for the next action. We don’t want this to be a norm where the public can simply kill protected species and report it as endangering life,” he said in SFC’s press statement today.
Thus, Zolkipli who is also Controller of Wild Life reminded the public living near rivers to be extra careful and not to take matters into their own hands as these reptiles are dangerous.
SFC also urged the public to notify the nearest SFC offices of any crocodile sightings in their areas through its hotlines at various regions in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.-DayakDaily
