MUKAH: The Sarawak Forestry Swift Wild Life Action Team (SWAT) was responsible for rescuing a three-foot juvenile crocodile in Mukah recently.
An eyewitness spotted two crocodiles in a Jalan Setia Raja drain but only one was rescued as the high water level
kept the second crocodile out of reach.
The rescued juvenile has been sent to the Matang Wildlife Centre for rehabilitation.
Wild Life controller Datu Ali Yusop appealed for public cooperation during wildlife rescue operations.
“We appreciate greatly the public playing their role by informing Sarawak Forestry of any wildlife in distress.
“We cannot do everything on our own and need the cooperation from all levels of society for effective wildlife rescue and protection,” he said in a press release.
The estuarine crocodile population in Malaysia is listed under the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species for Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) Appendix I and protected in Sarawak under the Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998).
The world is known to have 23 species of crocodilian species, while Borneo has recorded three species, two of which are found in Sarawak.
In Sarawak, the estuarine crocodile is widely found from the estuarine to more than a 100km upriver, while the more elusive and threatened false gharial lurks in the fresh water swamps of the low-lying areas.
The functions of crocodiles in the ecosystem is well accepted as scavengers and top predators, cleaning our ecosystem from diseases and keeping the population of other animals in check to maintain a healthy and functional ecosystem.
There has been little scientific research on crocodiles in Sarawak, therefore, little is known about the species here.
Sarawak Forestry is monitoring the population of crocodiles in Sarawak’s rivers while Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) has several postgraduate students and professors conducting research on crocodiles.
It is important to note that all actions need to be well-planned based on good scientific findings rather than mere gut instinct, emotion or even public pressure.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation is also responsible for enforcing the Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998), Forest Ordinance
(Cap 126) and National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance (1998).
The public are advised to immediately report any illegal logging, wildlife capture, hunting and trade, or any illegal activities pertaining to forestry and wildlife at 082- 610088.