Let's hope nobody gets bitten by a croc
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/Singapore/Story/STIStory_265966.html
If not a threat, don't trap, most locals say
SINGAPORE has at least two 'permanent resident' crocodiles, which make their home in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
The National Parks Board (NParks) has confirmed identifying these crocodiles, which are usually spotted in the water or mudflats, out of reach of visitors.
NParks has taken a non-interventionist approach to its pair of 'resident' crocodiles. It says it will act only if the reptiles move on the boardwalks or the walking trails in the park. But so far, it has not needed to take any action.
At Sungei Buloh, signs are in place to alert visitors to the presence of crocodiles. Visitors are also advised to keep to designated trails.
Few mangrove swamps, which support the survival of crocodiles, now exist in Singapore. The largest designated wetland reserve here is Sungei Buloh. It is not clear if the two crocodiles at Sungei Buloh are the only ones to have made their home there.
Photography enthusiast Jeffery Teo, 37, has had 20 sightings of crocodiles over the past two years, though he could not be sure how many crocodiles there actually were.
Experts say the recent sighting of a 1m long crocodile at Pasir Ris Park, which was first photographed on Aug 3, is unlikely to indicate the presence of a family of crocodiles there.
Mr Francis Lim, curator at the Singapore Zoo, said that baby crocodiles, which are 30cm at birth, are usually eaten by predators and have less than 1 per cent chance of survival in the wild.
Even a 1m crocodile can be eaten by large monitor lizards and pythons.
Mr Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the Singapore Zoo, added: 'For the social context, they don't stick to family groups.'
Reacting to news of traps being set at Pasir Ris Park, nature lovers said Singapore's wild crocodiles should be left alone, unless their presence poses a risk.
Mr Peter Loh, 44, who owns a shop at Downtown East in Pasir Ris, near where the specimen was seen, said: 'Being a nature lover, I feel that they should be left alone. Only if they are going to be in a site where they pose a danger, the authorities can consider removing them.'
Mr Adrian Pereira, 61, a Pasir Ris resident, said it was about time 'we educate people to learn to live with and accept animals', especially since Singapore is developing its waterways into centres of recreation.
Another call for public education came from Mr R. Subaraj, who chairs the Nature Society of Singapore's Vertebrate Study Group. He said people should understand that estuarine or saltwater crocodiles are native to the region.
But he added that the existence of a crocodile in a place like Pasir Ris, where 'the ecosystem is too small and too close to places inhabited by local population', would always be a concern to the public.
Madam Nancy Huang, 35, a freelance graphic designer, who was near the Pasir Ris Park mangrove area with her seven-year-old son, had not heard of the crocodile sighting.
She said in Mandarin: 'Children may be very curious and very active and if they go near the crocodile, it's hard to tell what will happen. They may be eaten up. '
ANG YIYING
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/Singapore/Story/STIStory_265966.html
If not a threat, don't trap, most locals say
SINGAPORE has at least two 'permanent resident' crocodiles, which make their home in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
The National Parks Board (NParks) has confirmed identifying these crocodiles, which are usually spotted in the water or mudflats, out of reach of visitors.
NParks has taken a non-interventionist approach to its pair of 'resident' crocodiles. It says it will act only if the reptiles move on the boardwalks or the walking trails in the park. But so far, it has not needed to take any action.
At Sungei Buloh, signs are in place to alert visitors to the presence of crocodiles. Visitors are also advised to keep to designated trails.
Few mangrove swamps, which support the survival of crocodiles, now exist in Singapore. The largest designated wetland reserve here is Sungei Buloh. It is not clear if the two crocodiles at Sungei Buloh are the only ones to have made their home there.
Photography enthusiast Jeffery Teo, 37, has had 20 sightings of crocodiles over the past two years, though he could not be sure how many crocodiles there actually were.
Experts say the recent sighting of a 1m long crocodile at Pasir Ris Park, which was first photographed on Aug 3, is unlikely to indicate the presence of a family of crocodiles there.
Mr Francis Lim, curator at the Singapore Zoo, said that baby crocodiles, which are 30cm at birth, are usually eaten by predators and have less than 1 per cent chance of survival in the wild.
Even a 1m crocodile can be eaten by large monitor lizards and pythons.
Mr Biswajit Guha, assistant director of zoology at the Singapore Zoo, added: 'For the social context, they don't stick to family groups.'
Reacting to news of traps being set at Pasir Ris Park, nature lovers said Singapore's wild crocodiles should be left alone, unless their presence poses a risk.
Mr Peter Loh, 44, who owns a shop at Downtown East in Pasir Ris, near where the specimen was seen, said: 'Being a nature lover, I feel that they should be left alone. Only if they are going to be in a site where they pose a danger, the authorities can consider removing them.'
Mr Adrian Pereira, 61, a Pasir Ris resident, said it was about time 'we educate people to learn to live with and accept animals', especially since Singapore is developing its waterways into centres of recreation.
Another call for public education came from Mr R. Subaraj, who chairs the Nature Society of Singapore's Vertebrate Study Group. He said people should understand that estuarine or saltwater crocodiles are native to the region.
But he added that the existence of a crocodile in a place like Pasir Ris, where 'the ecosystem is too small and too close to places inhabited by local population', would always be a concern to the public.
Madam Nancy Huang, 35, a freelance graphic designer, who was near the Pasir Ris Park mangrove area with her seven-year-old son, had not heard of the crocodile sighting.
She said in Mandarin: 'Children may be very curious and very active and if they go near the crocodile, it's hard to tell what will happen. They may be eaten up. '
ANG YIYING
