At Night, When The Tide Is High, Residents In The Tanjungpinang Eagle Housing Complex Are Surprised By The Appearance Of A 4-Meter Crocodile

Muara crocodiles appear in residential areas in Tanjungpinang City, Riau Islands (Kepri). (ANTARA/HO-DPKP Tanjungpinang City)

TANJUNGPINANG - The Tanjungpinang City Government, Riau Island is following up on residents' reports about the appearance of crocodiles on the surface of the main road around the Elang Regency housing complex, Jalan Radar.

"We have gone down to the location reported by residents. It turns out there are a lot of swamps there, so they must be dealt with immediately", said Deputy Mayor of Tanjungpinang, Endang Abdullah, in Tanjungpinang, Antara, Wednesday, November 30.

According to Endang, estuarine crocodiles can indeed live in swamp areas. The appearance of crocodiles on the surface of the main road for residents' housing is probably because their habitat has been disturbed, especially now that the rainy season is starting.

Therefore, he appealed to local residents to be more careful and always on alert when crossing the main road in the swamps.

He will also invite housing developers, related agencies, village heads, sub-district heads, RT, RW, and community representatives to find solutions to the crocodile problem.

"We will check how the administration of permits to build housing is by the provisions for building housing", said Endang asserted.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Tanjungpinang City Fire and Rescue Service (DPKP), Agustiawarman asked residents to immediately report to the call center 0771-24949 if they see a crocodile in the Elang Regency residential area.

"This is our emergency call. We will respond quickly if there is a disturbance or requires our handling assistance", he said.

He also suggested that the main road in the housing area be fenced immediately to prevent unwanted things from happening.

A resident of the Elang Regency housing complex, Fernandes, said that crocodiles measuring about 4 meters in the area had appeared several times at night in the last two months. This condition is exacerbated by minimal street lighting.

"Usually it appears at night when the tide is high. The crocodile crosses from the left side of the road to the right", he said.

He hopes the developer can add lighting in this residential area because there are only three light points.

"So when the crocodile appears at night, we can already see it from afar and try to avoid it", he said.