JAKARTA: The Riau Islands Legislative Council (DPRD) has called for the closure of a crocodile farm on Bulan Island, Batam, following the escape of 105 reptiles last month, sparking concerns about potential crocodile attacks on local residents and tourists.
DPRD Speaker Iman Sutiawan said that aside from endangering the public, the crocodile farm, which was managed by PT Perkasa Jagat Karunia, had never contributed taxes to the province in its 36 years of operation.
"We want the farm shut down," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday. Imam added that according to the management, only one of the 105 escaped crocodiles was still at large.
Thirty-eight were captured by Batam authorities in various parts of nearby islets, three were found dead and 66 were recaptured by the farm, as the reptiles reportedly remained on Bulan Island.
"However, this is just the management's claim. Frankly speaking, we don’t believe it. We want the company to keep searching for the remaining crocodiles and to verify the total number of escaped and captured reptiles," he said.
Imam further explained that local councilors visited the farm over the weekend to assess its condition after the escape and to demand accountability from the management in case of future crocodile attacks.
The crocodiles on the farm escaped on Jan 13, after days of torrential downpour caused parts of the fence around a breeding pond to collapse.
According to the management, the farm housed around 800 saltwater crocodiles.
These crocodiles were previously used to produce various leather goods, such as bags, wallets and belts.
However, PT Perkasa Jagat Karunia reportedly stopped producing leather products seven years ago due to financial difficulties.
Currently, the crocodiles are mainly used by the farm’s affiliate, PT Indo Tirta Suaka (ITS), which owns a 240,000-head pig farm for export to Singapore, to dispose of dead pigs.
After the crocodile escape, Batam Mayor Muhammad Rudi immediately formed a joint team to catch the escaped predators, which consisted of members of the Navy, police officers and local fishermen.
The largest crocodile that was captured by the task force weighed more than 1,000 kilogrammes.
Batam Tourism Agency head Ardiwinata has issued warnings for tourists to avoid beaches and waterways following the incident.
Rudi has expressed concerns that the incident could negatively affect tourism and industry in the region.
Batam Island, which is known for its beaches, as well as its role as a free trade zone and industrial hub, attracts some 1 million tourists per year.
The incident has also raised alarm in Singapore, as Bulan Island is located just 30 kilometers from Singapore's recreational offshore island Sentosa.
Muhammad Safid, one of the residents who lived near the crocodile farm, said that a lot of fishermen in the area had reportedly stopped fishing temporarily due to safety concerns.
"Normally, we sell a lot of rabbit fish during the Chinese New Year, but this year, we couldn’t, as many were too afraid to venture out to sea," he told the Post. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
