Crocodile wanted dead or alive

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: Two police sharpshooters have been assigned to a local team searching for an estuary crocodile (Crocodilus porosus) which killed a 14-year-old boy at Kayan River a fortnight ago.

Lt. Col. M. Hidayat of the Bulungan police said that two of his men were assigned to the search team to help capture the crocodile dead or alive.

"We have been told by several experts that crocodiles often come to the surface, but when they are approached they go under again. So the only way is to shoot them," Hidayat said as quoted by Antara yesterday.

The two shooters will be equipped with M-14 rifles.

The team is comprised of the boy's family and four crocodile tamers. Five tamers had originally agreed to participate in the hunt but one had his leg crushed in an earlier encounter with the crocodile.

"The area where the crocodile lives is quite difficult to reach. It takes 45 minutes by speedboat to get there from Tanjung Selor, the capital of Bulungan regency," Hidayat said. (mds)