BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Local villagers at Kg Birau, Tutong brought in a ‘big catch’ yesterday as a 15-foot long crocodile was found in one of the traps they set-up for the animal at Sg Birau in Kg Lamunin.
One of the catchers, Md Isa Hj Layeh told The Brunei Times in a phone interview that crocodiles have long been spotted in the village, especially at the river area near Jln Kecil Birau-Sentol, where the villagers’ buffalo farm is located.
“Some of our (villagers) buffaloes recently went missing so we set up the traps a few days ago to catch the culprit (crocodiles),” he said, adding that in the past few years, villagers have caught more than five of these reptiles, which have been known to cause destruction to farm and livestock in the village.
Facebook screengrabs, The Brunei Times/ANN
Md Isa went on to say that the crocodile – believed to be 15 feet long and 2-feet wide – fell for the trap around 7am yesterday where he and other villagers proceeded to secure the animal and bring their catch on land.
Aside from setting up traps for the wild animals for safety measures, Md Isa said that they also advised other villagers and visitors to refrain from coming too close to the river and its vicinity.
“Many use this river for fishing activities, so we always warned them to be extra cautious and stay away from areas where these crocodiles are normally spotted,” he added.
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Sina Weibo, Internet screengrabs, Stomp, Reuters
