Don't Be Imitated, This Boy In North Sumatra's Labura Is Desperate To Catch Crocodiles

Video screenshot of children catching crocodiles in Labura, North Sumatra (IST)

MEDAN - A video of a boy catching a crocodile has gone viral on social media. His reckless action was carried out in a river in Hamlet III, Parit Oil, Aek Korsik Village, Aek Kuo District, Labuhanbatu Utara Labura), North Sumatra.

The video of the child's reckless action catching a crocodile was uploaded to the Instagram account @potretlabura. In the video, a boy can be seen catching and tying the crocodile's mouth with some of his friends. Do not copy!

The child looks calm and not awkward when facing the crocodile. After catching the crocodile, the child then released the crocodile.

Separately, the Head of the Conservation Section for BBKSDA Region III Kisaran, Alfianto Luat Siregar when confirmed by reporters, confirmed the viral video. He said the incident occurred Sunday, November 7th.

"It is a type of sinyulong crocodile or fish crocodile. That is their habitat. In Aek Kuo, the majority of crocodiles are sinyulong. We have also handled crocodiles in Aek Kuo," he said, Tuesday, November 9.

So far, according to Alfianto, this type of crocodile has never attacked the people in the area. This is because crocodiles eat fish.

"The crocodile is a type of crocodile that is protected according to PermenLHK No. 106/2018. We have also been there many times. Coordination with BPBD and Polsek related to protected wildlife," he said.

He suspected that the crocodile rose to the surface because the rainy season caused the river's water discharge to increase.

"Because of the rainy season, so they climb or get lost in oil palm plantations. Sinyulong crocodile species have never attacked the community. Even if there are estuarine crocodiles, they usually overflow from other rivers such as the Kualuh River," said Alfianto.