Just another day in our personal favorite Malaysian state, Sarawak: Fire and Rescue officials captured a three meter-long crocodile today from a residential, Kuching-area drain.
How residential? Ah – same neighborhood as several government offices, a hospital and Kuching stadium. Pretty residential, y’all.
https://www.facebook.com/sarawakinfo/posts/993191444210753
Seven officers from the Petra Jaya fire station spent an hour wrangling the wayward croc at around 10am this morning, while the rest of us enjoyed our second coffee.
Local media spoke to the Fire Chief Tan Min Chai, who told them: “When we arrived at the scene, we found a large adult crocodile, about 3m-long, trapped in a drain. We believe the crocodile came from the nearby river, as there was a king tide in the last few days. We think it got lost or was looking for food or a nest.”
https://www.facebook.com/RakanBombaMalaysia/posts/2166826373360232
Firefighters will now liaise with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation to rehouse the crocodile.
Both Sarawak and neighboring state Sabah have experienced an increase in crocodile sightings and attacks.
A few years ago, Sarawakians noticed that attacks were on the rise. Many blamed the changing eco-structure brought on by palm oil farming and logging to the rise in crocs in previously uncharted waters.
East Malaysia is arguably the most resource rich area of the country. Sabah is the country’s biggest palm oil supplier. From palm oil to rubber to timber, money flows from Borneo but often does not reach the backwaters of its rural residents.
Previously, residents of one area island reported that their waters had become overrun by the saltwater beasts, leaving them afraid to leave their homes.
