Singapore — The sighting of a saltwater crocodile while it rested behind a fence at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve recently went viral.
And now it appears to have taken a few more steps out into the trail as another batch of visitors caught sight of the reptile.
One Abhiram Ganti had written to The Independent Singapore, highlighting their sighting of the crocodile on a pathway along the park.
According to an Instagram post by Mr Ganti, he went on a trek with his friend, Adharsh Srinivasan, at the wetland reserve.
“We were trying to spot as many animals as we could. And in the afternoon, at about 4 pm or so, we hit the jackpot!” he wrote.
The animal enthusiast then described the reptile. “As you can see here, its broad body, with its bony, plate-shaped scales and its dark green colouration, can be clearly observed in all its glory!”
Mr Ganti noted that the croc appeared to be a juvenile and was “relatively relaxed.”
Knowing they should never provoke the animal, the duo stuck to observing the crocodile from a safe distance using a pair of binoculars and zooming in from their cameras to take photos.
“Just remember, it is important to keep a respectable, safe distance from any croc you come across,” he said.
“When one is right ahead, like in this circumstance, one ought not to make any quick, sudden movements and should back away. What a magnificent sight tho! Gave me goosebumps,” he added.
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The crocodile is presumably the same one spotted behind the fence by a photographer who posted his encounter on Facebook on Dec 26 last year.
After observing park visitors inching their way closer to the croc while it rested behind the fence, the concerned individual reminded the public that it was a wild animal.
Said Mr Srinivasan: “After snapping a few photos of the majestic beast, we noticed that there were some children who were throwing rocks at the crocodile. Adharsh and I were pretty frustrated and decided to tell them off as they clearly did not understand what the crocodile was capable of doing if it was agitated”.
“All I’m saying is that should anyone encounter something like this, they should keep a safe distance from the crocodile. Abhiram and I did consider calling NParks, but by then the crocodile calmly went back underneath the fence and rested on the other side of the fence on land. Once again, I want to emphasise the fact that we maintained our distance from the crocodile and respected it’s (sic) personal space”, Mr Srinivasan added.
On its website, the National Parks Board advises people to stay calm and back away when spotting a crocodile. “Do not approach, provoke or feed the animal,” it added.
The Independent Singapore has reached out to Mr Ganti for an update on the crocodile’s location. /TISG
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Crocodile spotted at Sg Buloh, curious hikers got ‘too close’