Palu, Indonesia, Feb. 9 (BNA): An animal lover on the island of Sulawesi has released an elusive Indonesian crocodile, which roamed around with a motorcycle tire stuck around its neck for six years.
The four-meter-high crocodile sparked sympathy among some residents in Palu who feared the tire would eventually suffocate the reptile as it grew in size, Reuters reports.
But it proved to be very difficult to catch. At one point, an Australian crocodile Wrangler tried to free the crawler but was unsuccessful.
“I grabbed the crocodile myself. I was asking people for help here but they were afraid,” said local Teli, 35, who uses one name like many Indonesians do.
Set up a basic trap with rope tied to wood and use chickens and ducks as bait.
But after tracking the reptile for three weeks, the cunning crocodile managed to escape from its entrapment twice before it was finally captured.
“A lot of people were skeptical of me and thought I wasn’t serious” about capturing the crocodile, Tilly said, beaming as he posed for photos in front of the tethered crawler after using a saw to remove the tire.
In 2020, authorities in the county offered an unspecified bonus to anyone who could remove the tire, although Tilley does not appear to have been his main motive.
“I can’t stand seeing animals get hurt. Even snakes, I’d help,” said Tilley, whose wildlife experience has taught me self.
The reptile, dubbed by locals as a “ban boya kalong” (a crocodile with a tire necklace), was released into the river on Monday evening.