The giant crocodile that was captured on Wednesday afternoon from Padma Beach in Legian is sadly no longer with us.
The head of the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), Agus Budi Santosa, said in a statement received by Coconuts Bali today that the female saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) sadly died mere hours after its capture.
“[We] suspected that it died because of stress, dehydration, and shock. Any one of these or their combination. We apologize for this,” the official said.
As previously reported, the croc interrupted a normal beach day at the popular tourist spot on Wednesday afternoon when a lifeguard spotted the reptile at around 3pm. The lifeguard said he thought the croc was just a piece of wood.
The reptile, a female that measured 3.5 meters in length, was captured and taken to the Tabanan Animal Rescue Center but died within hours of receiving treatment.
Officials noted that the crocodile, thought to be around 4 to 5 years old, had two old wounds – one on its waist and another on its back. Barnacles were found growing on her scales.
The death of the Legian crocodile leaves the mystery of its origin intact. Agus said that there are methods to determine whether a crocodile is wild or was bred in captivity – but that includes feeding them with bait.
“But if the crocodile is dead, then [the test] can’t be done,” he said.
Though croc sightings on Bali’s beaches are extremely rare, Agus explained that Bali BKSDA occasionally captures the reptiles further inland, including at the Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest to prevent contact with humans.
“But those crocodiles never measure more than 2 meters in length,” he said.
BKSDA also issued a statement for lifeguards and beachgoers to keep calm yet vigilant for other crocodiles in Legian and surrounding beaches.
