Sarawak Forestry: Monster croc euthanised due to severe gunshot wounds on head

Monster croc caught alive in Limbang town in northern Sarawak had to be put to sleep due to gunshot wounds on its head. -Sarawak Forestry Corporation

MIRI: A monster-size crocodile that was captured alive near a school in Limbang town in northern Sarawak has been put to sleep.

The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) said it had to euthanise the reptile as there were severe gunshot wounds on its head.

SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said on Thursday (Nov 12) that the wounds were too severe to be nursed.

"We had to put it down.

"A member of the public had shot it in the head before the Limbang Fire and Rescue Department could reach the crocodile.

"We at SFC are investigating who shot the crocodile," he said.

Zolkipli said the carcass had been transported using a forklift to a nature sanctuary located in Kubong village in the outskirts of the town for burial.

SFC had to hire a forklift to transport the massive croc.

The huge reptile weighing about 500kg and measuring about 5m in length was caught on Tuesday (Nov 10) midnight.

The creature, which had wandered into a drain near SK St Edmund in Limbang, was spotted by members of the public who alerted the Fire and Rescue Department.

The Limbang Fire and Rescue Station team captured it alive before handing it over to SFC.

The team, however, discovered that someone had shot the croc, which survived the shooting but was injured.

The team members managed to restrain the animal and tied it up safely before placing it on a truck while waiting for SFC to take custody of the reptile.

It is not known where the huge croc came from. The town is located along the banks of Limbang River.