BBKSDA Ensures 13 Crocodiles Who Escaped PJK Batam's Shelter Have Been Arrested

The Bulang Police, Batam City, Riau Islands have installed an appeal for crocodile alerts due to the incident of a detached crocodile in the area, Tuesday (14/1/2025). (ANTARA/HO-Bulang Police)

BATAM - Section for Conservation of Region II Batam, RIau Natural Resources Conservation Center (BBKSDA) said that 13 crocodiles that escaped from captivity were successfully evacuated by both teams and residents.

"Since the incident day Monday (13/1) until Thursday (16/1) 13 captivity crocodiles have been successfully evacuated," said Head of the Riau BBKSDA Conservation Section II, Tommy Steve Sinambela, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, January 17.

Tommy explained that the integrated joint team from BBKSDA, Bulang Police, TNI and the captivity and the community were still searching and evacuating for the next week.

According to him, the majority of the three crocodiles that were evacuated were captive crocodiles belonging to PT Perkasa Jagat Karunia (PJK) which came out of the pool when floods hit the captivity site on Pulau Bulan, Monday (13/1), resulting in the breakdown of the embankment, or the crocodile pond wall and fence.

"The team is still looking for it," he said.

The Head of the Bulang Police, Iptu Adyanto Sofyan, said that 14 crocodiles had been successfully evacuated by the integrated team and also the community. However, of that number, there are one or two wild crocodiles or not from captivity.

"There were reported that one or two were not captive crocodiles, but wild crocodiles that were found by residents and evacuated," he said.

All crocodiles that have been evacuated have been brought back to captivity.

Meanwhile, said Adyanto, the results of a meeting with the Batam City Government this afternoon, conveyed that the number of crocodiles in the broken pond was approximately 105.

Meanwhile, the estimated crocodiles that escaped from captivity due to the breakdown of the pool walls were between 20 and 30.

He said the loose breeding crocodiles were found spreading over a number of islands around the Moon Island, such as on Buluh Island, Mengkada Island, and Air Island.

This breeding crocodile is a brackish water crocodile, but it takes longer in salt water for fitness. This crocodile was swept away from the Moon Island to Mengkada," he said.

Adyanto said the detached captivity crocodile has the characteristics, namely that one of the fins on its tail is cut. Meanwhile, wild crocodiles do not have these characteristics.

Since the breakdown of the crocodile breeding pond on the island of the Moon, people on the surrounding islands have become worried about crocodiles appearing in the waters.

Polsek Bulang mengimbau warga agar mengurangi aktivitas malam hari dan di area pantai.

The release of the captivity crocodile occurred Monday (13/1) at 07.00 WIB informed by the community that the embankment or fence wall of the captivity pond on the island of Jebol Bulan was due to the high rainwater discharge.