BATU PAHAT: Villagers in Kampung Parit Gantong Laut, Taman Nira, captured a 4.5-metre female crocodile weighing 410 kg this morning after it wandered into an oil palm plantation, likely in search of a nesting site.
Azmil Sahman, 38, said he was harvesting oil palm fruit at about 9.30 am when he noticed the reptile. At first, he thought it was a monitor lizard, but was startled by its size.
A closer look confirmed it was a crocodile, prompting him to alert his friend, Mohamad Irwan Mohamad Osman, 36, who was also working in the area.
“Concerned for the safety of other workers, we called in several villagers to help capture it,” he said, adding that the crocodile had strayed from the river located just 300 metres from a residential area.
“About three years ago, a similar crocodile entered the plantation. We alerted the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) at the time,” he told reporters at the village.
In a statement, Penggaram Fire and Rescue Station Operations commander, senior fire officer II Mohd Nur Eddy Paiman, confirmed receiving an emergency call at 10.30 am, however, the crocodile had already been captured by the time the rescue team arrived.
“It was later handed over to personnel from Perhilitan and the Civil Defence Force,” he said.
