Man-eating crocodiles a grisly draw

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