This afternoon, locals of of flooded Nakhon Si Thammarat said they spotted a giant crocodile in the floodwaters suspected to be “Nadia,” the 5-meter-long croc that supposedly escaped from the zoo.
Nuanchan Sutin, a local of Tha Ngiew district, said that while she was paddling back to her home with her daughter, they were shocked by the sight of a crocodile larger than their boat. So the mother and daughter quickened their paddling to escape the croc.
However, Nuanchan said the crocodile didn’t seem to care about them and swam toward Tha Pae Canal instead.
Authorities said the characteristics of the crocodile that Nuanchan described matched Nadia, the giant crocodile that they still can’t locate in her pond at Toong Lat Zoo.
The Disaster Prevention and Migration Division came to the spot where the woman saw the croc, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Later, resident Siriwat Huajiam called authorities and reported another sighting of the giant crocodile, this time it was one kilometer away from the last time it was seen.
It is assumed that the crocodile is finding its way to the canal, which is connected with the sea.
A source from the zoo told Manager Online that Nadia and another 2-meter-long crocodile named “Yak” escaped their pond when the zoo flooded.
Despite these sightings, Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality officials still shrugged and insisted that the crocodiles are not on the loose. Mayor Chaonawat Sanepong previously said that the rumor was spread by his political competitor.
