The sudden appearance of a nearly 3-meter-long saltwater crocodile on Marina East Drive’s beachfront has sent shockwaves through the local community and has caught the attention of the National Parks Board (NParks).
A photo of the huge crocodile was first taken and shared on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group on 10 October, by netizen CK Lee.
The crocodile has since been captured by NParks and will be put down for the safety of the public, according to Channel NewsAsia.
The Sighting of a Large Crocodile
Lee said in his Facebook post that the crocodile was sighted on the morning of 10 Cotober at Marina East Drive, along the banks of the beach.
NParks said they had received reports about the massive reptile on the same day. In response to the sighting, NParks promptly initiated efforts to capture and remove the crocodile from the vicinity.
The director of NParks’ wildlife management and outreach, Mr How Choon Beng, was asked why they decided to put down the crocodile instead of relocating the reptile, and he said that it was because there was a risk of it going back to the place where it was captured, and potentially endangering the public.
Not the first time
This isn’t the first time Singapore has had encounters with crocodiles in concerning areas. In 2021, a 1.53-meter-long smaller crocodile was spotted swimming in a canal near Fort Road.
In that case, the crocodile was safely relocated to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. However, it’s essential to note that this was a smaller specimen, which was assessed to pose less risk to public safety.
The Risk to Public Safety
Mr. How mentioned that the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, once a suitable release site, now has a significant population of crocodiles.
This makes it impractical to relocate more crocodiles there, and given the potential risk to public safety, NParks decided to humanely put down the captured crocodile.
Image source: CK Lee on Facebook