Rawai residents shocked by baby crocodile

Residents in the Phuket district of Rawai got a bit of a shock yesterday when they encountered a baby crocodile. The little croc was hanging out at a local lotus pond in the neighbourhood. Many of the neighbours called city officials to report the unnerving visitor.

The Rawai Municipality began receiving reports yesterday about a baby crocodile on the loose at a lotus pond located behind the Seashell Museum in Moo 2 on Wiset Road. Officers responded to the scene and looked around until they found the crocodile themselves.

The municipality didn’t take any chances and called Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office for professional assistance. The fisheries office handles all incidents involving crocodiles. More officers were dispatched and the crocodile was safely caught.

The chief of the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office reported that the baby crocodile was a freshwater croc and weighed between four and five kilogrammes.

Not having information or any clues to the whereabouts of the baby’s mother, the crocodile will be transported to the Freshwater Fisheries Research and Development Centre in Surat Thani. There it will be cared for safely. The fisheries chief explained that crocodiles are protected and cannot be kept as pets or hunted.

“This is because the crocodile is protected wildlife, which people are not permitted to hunt or even be in possession of without special permission. If anyone sees or even suspects a crocodile is in a public area, or is being kept without permission, please notify the Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office immediately. This is to prevent danger to people in the area.”

Anyone in Rawai who encounters a crocodile – baby or otherwise – in the wild is advised to contact the Rawai Municipality by calling 076-613801 or contact them through their Facebook page.