It was just a normal day at Padma Beach in Legian today until this large reptile decided to show up.
A member of the Badung lifeguard squad (Balawista) was observing the popular beach when at around 3pm a dark object floating in the waves caught his eye. At first, he thought it was a piece of wood.
After further inspection, he noticed that it was, in fact, a crocodile.
The brave lifeguards, assisted by several locals, channeled their inner MacGyvers to capture the animal and tied it up using ropes and pieces of wood.
The crocodile, which reportedly measured some three meters in length, has been safely evacuated by the Denpasar Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).
“It’s likely that this crocodile escaped from captivity, as we’ve had strong winds in the past few days,” Wayan Suyadnya, a spokesman for Badung Balawista, told Coconuts Bali.
Fred Gaghauna, 48, who witnessed the incident and took pictures and videos, told Coconuts Bali that the Padma Beach lifeguards immediately blew their whistles to warn beachgoers once the crocodile encroached the shore.
Other than today, there is no recent record of crocodiles invading Bali’s beaches.
“Ever since I joined Badung Balawista in 2005, this was the first time I saw a crocodile on the beach. Even my seniors at Balawista never saw anything like it [in their careers],” Wayan added.
