A resident of Batuagung Jembrana got quite a shock on Thursday when he was looking for fish in an irrigation canal.
Instead of fish, Ida Bagus Ari Surya, 23, stumbled across a small crocodile—which he and his friends had thought was a monitor lizard at first.
The reptile, which has been identified as a saltwater croc, is being handed over to the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKDSA), according to Tribun Bali.
At 60 centimeters in length, with a width of about 20 centimeters, the croc is estimated to be about six months old.
The croc is believed to have once been someone’s pet that got let free in the neighborhood, Jembrana Natural Resources Officer Ahmad Januar told reporters.
Since the croc’s natural habitat is marshland, the residential area where it was released wasn’t suitable for it, Januar said.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen domesticated crocs released in Bali—a saltwater croc that appeared to have been someone’s pet was found in Sanur this February. Can people please stop releasing their crocs in Bali? The last thing we want is a Burmese python in the Florida Everglades type situation!
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