The Pahang Wildlife and National Parks Department (PERHILITAN) has captured a female estuarine crocodile that strayed into a drainage canal near Taman Perumahan Inderapura along Jalan Kuantan-Pekan yesterday.
The crocodile, estimated to be about three years old and measuring more than 1.5 metres, was caught using a trap that had been set up for five days with chicken as bait.
Pahang PERHILITAN director Yusoff Shariff said the department received a report from residents on Aug 4 after they spotted a crocodile in the drainage canal following a high tide.
He said the reptile was believed to have come from Sungai Belat before being carried by the strong tidal current into the canal, which had recently undergone cleaning works.
Yusoff said the crocodile was likely hungry, which may have contributed to the successful capture as it quickly approached the chicken bait placed inside the trap.
“The female crocodile, which measures more than 1.5 metres, will be released into its natural habitat so it can continue to grow,” he said when contacted today.
He added that Sungai Belat and Sungai Kuantan are known habitats for crocodiles, although no cases of the reptiles attacking humans have been reported in the area so far.
Meanwhile, Taman Perumahan Seri Inderapura resident Mahazir Wan Chik, 52, said crocodiles occasionally enter the drainage canal after floods or high tides.
He said the canal’s connection to Sungai Belat was believed to be the main reason for the reptiles straying into the residential area, although residents who fish there have never been attacked.
The capture serves as a reminder for residents living near waterways to remain cautious, particularly after periods of flooding or unusually high tides when wildlife may be displaced from its natural habitat.
