Man-eating crocodiles a grisly draw

A couple of giant crocodiles, killed and stuffed six years ago after devouring several people, provide a bit of color at the small, unpretentious museum that lies in the foothills outside Tenggarong.

Without them, Museum Kayu (Wood Museum), with virtually nothing of interest for the average person, would probably languish in the same fate of many of its kind in the country.

The crocs are the reason people come to the place. In fact, some people jokingly call it "Crocodile Museum".

The stuffed beasts lie side by side in large glass cases. They have been put there to serve as a reminder for visitors of the danger of the aggressive estuarine crocodiles (Crocodilus porosus) that teem East Kalimantan's estuaries, swamps and brackish areas.

These ill-fated animals are figures of fear and contempt: They were culled in a big, action movie-style hunt after the animals ate two people in separate incidents.

The one in the left case is a female crocodile measuring 5.5 meters in length, weighing 200 kilograms when caught and with a diameter of its abdomen of 1 meter. It was trapped and killed on April 6, 1996, when its age was estimated at 60 years. Its prey was a 40-year-old villager named Baddu in Muara (estuary) Badak.

The other is a larger male, 6.6 meters in length, weighing 350 kilograms with a diameter of 1.80 meters at its abdomen and believed to be about 70 years. It was trapped and killed on March 8, 1996, after it ate a 35-year-old woman, Hairani, in River Kenyamukan, Sangatta.

"I have often heard of crocodiles savaging humans but I never imagined the beast could be this big," said the awed Ferina, a high school student from Balikpapan.

Crocodile attacks remain commonplace in East Kalimantan, and the two incidents showcased at the museum are only part of a long list of such tragedies.

On Dec. 11, 2000, an eight-year-old girl, Eka Sapriana, was grabbed and swallowed alive by a a crocodile near her home in River Teluk Pandan, Sangatta. Bits of her limbs were found inside the stomach of an animal that was trapped and killed three days later, local Kutai Timur daily reported.

In other incidents, attacks inflicted serious injuries on the victims. Minggus, a 27-year-old fishpond worker, was among those who were "fortunate" enough to escape death from the jaw of the fiery beast.

Minggus was ambushed by a croc by Muara Pantuan estuary in Kutai Kartanegara on her way home from work during the full moon night of Feb. 16, 2006.

"The beast dragged him down to the bottom of the 10-meter-deep river. Still conscious, Minggus held onto branches of a sunken tree and, miraculously, the crocodile let him go," Kutai Baru newspaper reported.

With unusually detailed historical description made complete with clippings of newspaper reports about the events leading to their capture, the stuffed giant crocodiles offer a chilling glimpse of a creature that is still much feared in the province, and in other parts of the country.

Apart from the main attraction of the stuffed crocodiles, Museum Kayu offers a very small collection of wood products. Still, it is an interesting place to get an idea of things like traditional Dayak houses and some species of wood in East Kalimantan. A set of new wooden and rattan furniture occupies a large section.

But the absence of a regular shuttle bus service keeps the museum away from visitors who must rely on erratic public transportation to go around. The Ojek (motorcycle taxi) is the best way to reach the place.

-- Pandaya