Crocodile

April 16, 2011
Don’t provoke crocodile seen on riverbank, villagers warned
Star

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Penang Wildlife and National Park Department (Perhilitan) workers have been deployed to monitor a crocodile sighted near the Junjung Mati River in Juru.

Department director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said the department placed its workers on the riverbank yesterday.

He said the department would also put up signboards there to warn villagers after a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) locally known as ‘buaya tembaga’ was seen on the riverbank on Thursday.

“I hope the public will co-operate and not throw stones into the river to provoke the crocodile, or go fishing there,” he said when contacted yesterday.

State Agriculture, Rural Development and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Law Choo Kiang said he would ask the state Fisheries Department and the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) to take precautionary measures by putting up signboards in the area surrounding the river.

Villager Raja Mohd Faizul Raja Senik, 24, who used to fish and catch crabs in the river, said he had not seen the crocodile until Thursday.

“After seeing the crocodile, I will not take any risk and go fishing there again,” he said.

Several residents spotted the reptile at 6pm on Thursday.

It was reported yesterday that excavator driver M. Silvasendran, 25, saw the crocodile on the riverbank for about two-and-half hours before it slowly made its way back into the river.

Silvasendran had also claimed that he had seen a crocodile on the same stretch last month while carrying out a contract job to widen the river for the DID.