A FISH farm in Lim Chu Kang received a hungry visitor last Friday when a 3m-long crocodile wandered onto the grounds.
The reptile, which was believed to have been searching for fish to eat, got stuck in a gap by a fence.
It took four people to capture it, Lianhe Wanbao reported yesterday.
Workers at the fish farm discovered the creature early in the morning and called wildlife group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) for help.
An Acres spokesman told Wanbao that it received a call at 8.30am. It dispatched three men and a woman to the scene to assess the situation.
Acres wildlife group director, Kalaivanan Balakrishnan, said the rescue team found the crocodile in a tired state.
The team covered its eyes with a cloth and bound its snout and feet.
The four rescuers took almost half an hour to successfully subdue the crocodile and release it back to the nearby Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
Mr Kalaivanan, 30, said there was a relatively large hole in the fence, through which the crocodile could have entered the farm while hunting at night.
He added that Acres had rescued crocodiles before. But such cases are relatively rare and this was the first such incident this year.
The reptile, which weighed about 70kg, was identified as a juvenile estuarine crocodile, a nocturnal animal native to Singapore.
Estuarine crocodiles feed mainly on fish, and a mature male can reach lengths of up to 7m and weigh 450kg.
A mature female can grow up to 4m and weigh 80kg.
Mr Kalaivanan said most wild animals do not attack unless they are provoked.
However, if members of the public encounter wildlife in protected nature reserves, they should observe the following:
1. Do not feed the animal.
2. Do not look directly at its eyes as it could interpret it as a challenge.
3. Do not shout or make any aggressive gesture as some frightened animals could attack in self-defence.
4. Try your best to maintain a distance from the animal so as not to be seen as a threat.
myp@sph.com.sg
Get MyPaper for more stories.
