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1.6-meter long crocodile weighing 34-kilograms was caught by local residents in a river in Sinanggul sub-district, Mlonggo, Jepara, Central Java, on Tuesday morning. The animal was later moved to a zoo in the provincial capital of Semarang.

The crocodile was first spotted by local resident Karmidi, as he was looking for grass to feed his livestock at about 6 a.m. Local residents then caught the crocodile together using ropes, sticks and an air rifle.

'€œThe crocodile shocked us, as our children wash in the river,'€ said Tafrikhan, another resident.

The reptile was then brought to Mlonggo police precinct and was placed in a bathroom.

Central Java Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) conservation section head Johan Setiawan said his office was still investigating whether the river was the crocodile'€™s habitat or if the reptile had been kept by a local resident and had escaped.

Johan said based on its size, the crocodile was probably just 2-years-old. He also called on local residents to not catch crocodiles when they were spotted in the river, so the reptiles could live freely in their natural habitat.