Wild specimen: Kerisha checking a juvenile crocodile in Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: Penangite Sai Kerisha Kntayya grew up with a fear of saltwater crocodiles due to their reputation as man-eaters.
Today, the PhD researcher has overcome her childhood fear to study the reptiles along the banks of the Kinabatangan River and to her surprise, found them to be “shy and reserved in the wild”.