SIBU: A 5.43-metre-long crocodile, estimated to weigh more than 600 kilogrammes, was captured at Kampung Sedi, Pulau Bruit, Daro today, after a two-week hunt following reports that it posed a threat to the safety of residents around the Batang Paloh estuary.
Licensed crocodile catcher Jeferry Siew Seng Kwong, 41, said the reptile was hooked at about noon before he and his team managed to land it at 4.05 pm.
He said the crocodile frequently entered small rivers used by residents as routes and for their daily activities, raising concerns over their safety.
“Residents here depend on these rivers for their daily activities. That is why they feel threatened by the presence of the crocodile,” he told Bernama today (Nov 3).
Siew said his team had been targeting the crocodile for the past two weeks and had managed to hook it once, but the reptile escaped after the fishing line snapped.
He said the crocodile threat in the area was not over, as another crocodile, believed to be even larger, had yet to be captured.
Siew, who holds a crocodile hunting licence issued by the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, has caught more than 100 crocodiles throughout his involvement in the activity.
On Oct 7, he and his team also managed to capture a 4.15-metre-long crocodile in Sungai Rajang near the Stabau-Salim area in Sibu. – BERNAMA
