After Being Caught By A Magician, A 4 Meter Crocodile Predator Of Humans In The Selagan Mukomuko River Died

A number of residents in Mukomuko Regency watch crocodiles next to the local government secretariat office (Via ANTARA)

MUKOMUKO - The Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) is still investigating the cause of the death of a crocodile suspected of being a human predator that was caught by the handler using a fishing rod in the Selagan River, Mukomuko Regency.

"We are doing an autopsy at Mukomuko, to find out the cause of the crocodile's death, the results will be known Monday, March 14," said Bengkulu BKSDA Region I Conservation Section Head Said Jauhari in his statement at Mukomuko, Antara, Friday, March 11.

A crocodile suspected to be a human predator about four meters long, was caught by a handler in the Selagan River, Tanah Rekah Village, Mukomuko Regency. The BKSDA today planned to evacuate a crocodile suspected of being a human predator that was caught by a handler in the Selagan River, Mukomuko Regency, but was canceled because the crocodile had died.

"We did not evacuate the crocodile to a crocodile breeding site at the BKSDA. The crocodile carcass was buried in Mukomuko Regency," he said.

He said the crocodile died presumably because there were wounds from the fishing line used by the handler to catch the animal.

In addition, he said his party was still investigating whether there were other causes, such as the marks of violence on the crocodile's body when residents and the handler caught the crocodile in the Selagan River.

He said that the act of violence that could cause the crocodile to die had legal implications because the animal was protected.

The sub-district head of Mukomuko City, Ali Nasri, said the crocodile, which is suspected to be a human predator, was caught by a handler in the Selagan River, Mukomuko Regency on Thursday night at around 19.30 WIB.

He stated that the crocodile was not in the cage installed by the BKSDA, but the handler who got the crocodile.

For the time being, his party cannot guess whether the captured crocodile preyed on the residents of Tanah Rekah Village, Mukomuko City District to death.

According to the handler's statement, he said, there were about 10 large crocodiles in the Selagan River and it was planned that all the crocodiles would be caught by the handler. Meanwhile, Sabri (65), a resident of Tanah Rekah Village, Mukomuko City District, died after being eaten by crocodiles in the Selagan River in this area.