Crocodile wanted dead or alive

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)