TUARAN: A family here who had frequently sighted a crocodile for the past week can finally heaved a huge sigh of relief after the reptile was caught at Kampung Tajau here.
In the 12.30am incident yesterday, a villager Jungadre Saidin, 36, managed to capture the crocodile using a chicken as bait.
Jungadre said he placed a huge chunk of chicken meat on a fishing hook, which he positioned under the bridge near his house.
“The crocodile was usually spotted at a mangrove area near the house and it worried us whenever we went out or head out to fish,” he told the NSTP, adding they almost caught the crocodile using the same method on the previous day, but it was too aggressive and managed to escape.
Jungadre said he was unsure whether there are still crocodiles in the area but he was relieved that they had caught one.
Meanwhile, district Civil Defence Force officer Paulina Paulina Francis said they despatched several personnel to the village after they were informed of the catch at 12.35am.
“The crocodile was aggressive but our team managed to catch the animal after a 20-minute struggle.
“The 3.5-metre reptile weighed 20kg,” she said, adding that the reptile will be sent to the Sabah Wildlife Department.