T

he Jambi Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA Jambi) has launched an investigation into the death of a 4-meter-long saltwater crocodile in Teluk Dewan village, East Tanjungjabung regency, Jambi.

“The crocodile was found dead on Thursday when local residents were cleaning an artificial canal using an excavator,” BKSDA Jambi head Rahmat Saleh said on Friday.

The residents, he added, claimed the machine’s operator had hit something upon cleaning the canal. When he raised the excavator’s arm, he found a saltwater crocodile in it.

A team from the agency has moved the animal and questioned the operator regarding the incident.

“We didn’t apprehend him,” Rahmat said.

Anwandi, a local resident who had witnessed the incident, said residents had told the operator to remove the crocodile from the canal. “Maybe something happened when we placed the animal on land, causing its death,” Anwandi said.

The saltwater crocodile is included in a list of protected animals detailed in a 2018 environment and forestry ministerial regulation.

A 1990 law on natural resources conservation prohibits the killing of protected species, except in emergency situations that threaten human life. Anyone convicted of deliberately violating the law faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, as well as a fine of Rp 100 million (US$6,328).

Another resident, Iswanto, said saltwater crocodiles were common in the area and often preyed on residents’ livestock.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the saltwater crocodile is commonly found in the inland waters of northern Australia, eastern India and Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia.

“We’re afraid of the animal. Sometimes, we don’t know whether our activities would provoke a crocodile to attack us,” Iswanto said.

Jambi saw several crocodile attacks on humans last year. Environmentalists believed such incidents were caused by habitat destruction, such as converting peatlands into oil palm plantations and illegal mining in rivers.

Meanwhile, the remains of a 7-year-old boy were found inside a 5-m-long crocodile on Thursday evening after he was reported missing by his family in Buru Island, Maluku.

The boy did not return home after going for a swim at a local beach in Waimingit village, Air Buaya district, Buru regency, on Wednesday morning.

A joint search and rescue team began searching for the boy in the area following a missing person report filed by his family. The team, comprising personnel from the local Search and Rescue Agency, Maluku Water and Air Police unit and Air Buaya Police combed the shores on Wednesday but found nothing.

The team searched a nearby river the next day, where they found a large crocodile in the water.

The team decided to shoot the crocodile and cut it open, discovering the boy’s body inside.

“The crocodile was found 150 m away from the location where the boy was reported missing. His parents told us they suspected their son had been eaten by a crocodile,” Ambon National Search and Rescue Agency head Muslimin told reporters on Thursday.

The boy’s body has been returned to his family and laid to rest. (nal/dpk)