Crocodile spotted ‘sunbathing’ near Neo Tiew Crescent, NParks still looking for it

SINGAPORE: After a social media user posted two photos of a crocodile on a road in the vicinity of Neo Tiew Crescent on  Tuesday afternoon (March 18), the National Parks Board (NParks) said that the large animal is still being searched for.

A man named Mr Koo posted the photos on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook page. He joked in the caption to his post that someone’s pet lizard had been caught “sunbathing on the road”.

While seeing animals in the wild is by no means unusual in Singapore, NParks was alerted to the sighting of the crocodile by Tuesday evening, and it dispatched a team at once in search of the creature, according to a Straits Times (ST) report. When the crocodile remained unfound, NParks said it would continue the search the following morning.

Mr Koo told ST that he saw the crocodile while driving near Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm at Neo Tiew Crescent at around 1 pm on March 18, adding that he thought the animal had come from Sungei Buloh.

On Wednesday (March 19), Cyrene Lin, the wildlife management and outreach director at NParks, told ST that the animal has yet to be found, adding that the crocodile farm nearby has been inspected and its enclosures and fences are intact. She also said that the farms and businesses in the area were asked to contact NParks if they saw the crocodile.

If members of the public spot the animal, they should call NParks at 1800-476-1600.

Estuarine crocodiles, also known as saltwater crocodiles, may be found in the tropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. As these “salties” can grow up to 6 to 7 meters in length, they are the largest crocodile species in the world.

The species is known for its long snout and broad, muscular tail with ridges. On its website, NParks advises people to stay calm and back away when spotting a crocodile. “Do not approach, provoke, or feed the animal,” it added.

In the areas where crocodiles are usually found, including mangroves such as Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the agency advises people to stay on designated paths and avoid the water’s edge.

The species is considered rare, and its habitat, particularly the estuarine mangrove belt, is under threat. It is also threatened by “human persecution because of the man-eating tendencies of large individuals”, NParks says. It was listed as endangered in 1994 and critically endangered in 2008. /TISG

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