SINGAPORE: Indonesian authorities have caught 34 crocodiles believed to have escaped from a Batam farm as of Wednesday (Jan 22), and a local official said the risk of escapees swimming to Singapore was “very low”.
The 34 crocodiles were caught in the waters of Mangkada and Seraya islands, Sepaku Bay, Lokan River and Batu Legong in Batam, said Lieutenant Colonel Mar Bambang Irianto, the head of Maritime Potential Threat of Main Naval Base (Lantamal) IV, in a statement.
The largest crocodile caught weighed more than 1,000kg, said Rio Nugraha, head of information of Lantamal IV, which is leading the Integrated Taskforce for Disaster Management and Crocodile Evacuation.
The crocodiles have been handed over by the taskforce to be returned to captivity on Bulan island.
The crocodiles escaped from a breeding farm on the island on Jan 13 after torrential rain caused a fence around their pond to collapse, Indonesian media reported. Bulan island is about 30km from Singapore’s Sentosa island.
It is still not known how many crocodiles escaped, said Rio.
Source: CNA
