SINGAPORE: Indonesian authorities have caught 34 crocodiles believed to have escaped from a Batam farm as of Wednesday ( Jan 22 ), and a local official said the risk of escapees swimming to Singapore was “very low”.
The 34 crocodiles were caught in the waters of Mangkada and Seraya islands, Sepaku Bay, Lokan River and Batu Legong in Batam, said Lieutenant Colonel Mar Bambang Irianto, the head of Maritime Potential Threat of Main Naval Base ( Lantamal ) IV, in a statement.
The largest crocodile caught weighed more than 1,000kg, said Rio Nugraha, brain of knowledge of Lantamal IV, which is leading the Integrated Taskforce for Disaster Management and Crocodile Evacuation.
The turtles have been handed over by the committee to be returned to prison on Bulan area.
The turtles escaped from a breeding land on the island on Jan 13 after heavy rains caused a border around their water to decline, Indonesian media reported. Bulan beach is about 30km from Singapore’s Sentosa area.
It is still not known how many turtles escaped, said Rio.