A crocodile spotted on the bank of the lake at the popular jogging track at Likas Sports Complex in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday (May 2).
KOTA KINABALU: Joggers at the popular track around a lake at the Likas Sports Complex here have reported more crocodile sightings in the vicinity.
The latest was on Tuesday (May 2) evening when they saw a relatively large crocodile sunbathing on the edge of the lake.
According to a jogger who declined to be named but provided a photograph, it is believed that there are three or four crocodiles in the lake.
ALSO READ: Croc spotted at KK's popular Likas Bay beach
"Some of them are small. They do not disturb us. In fact when these crocodiles see people around, they go back into the water.
"I am not too worried about their presence," said the jogger, in his 50s, who runs around the lake every evening.
He said he was able to take a picture of the crocodile on Tuesday evening as the reptile did not move.
Previously, joggers said they caught fleeting glimpses of the animal as it slid back into the water when there were people around.
The Sabah Wildlife Department has set up traps in the area but the crocodiles have been elusive, with mostly monitor lizards ending up caught.
Its director Augustine Tuuga said they had also set up nets in the lake to catch the crocodiles but with limited success.
ALSO READ: People unfazed by croc sightings
"We caught one recently with a fishing net. No luck with the traps so far," he said when contacted on Wednesday (May 3).
It is learnt the small crocodile caught in the net had died.
"We will still try to capture them," Tuuga said.
"A crocodile may not attack the joggers at all if it is on land. In fact it is more likely to flee into the water if it is approached.
"It is only dangerous when people go to the edge of the lake when the crocodile is in the water.
"It is big enough to cause serious injuries or worse if it attacks to get food," he said.
However, he warned the joggers to be cautious at all times and be aware of their surroundings.
ALSO READ: Croc caught at popular park
Over the last 15 years, crocodiles have been sighted in many waterways across the city's monsoon drains as well as at the Likas lagoon and also at the Tanjung and Likas beaches.
No one can actually pinpoint the origins of the crocodiles in the city's waterways but some suspect it could have been a bunch of young crocodiles in a private collection that escaped during severe floods in the city and neighbouring Penampang.
Wildlife rangers have captured a few, including at the jogging track in 2014, but the sightings continue.
