TAWAU: Wildlife rangers shot dead two male crocodiles in an operation at a river mouth near a factory at Mile 5, Jalan Apas, on Wednesday.
Tawau Wildlife Officer Primus Lambut said the 3am operation was carried out by four rangers after conducting observations.
He said the crocodiles were of the same reptile and had been frequently sighted by residents in the area, including a video clip recorded by a public member recently.
“One of the crocodiles was nine feet and eight inches (2.96 meters) long and weighed some 200kg, while the other was five feet eight inches (1.76 meters) long and weighed about 17kg,” he said.
Primus said the act of shooting dead the two crocodiles was a drastic step taken to ensure safety of residents in the area following the video of a crocodile on the bank of the river.
On Thursday last week (Dec 21), a 0.12-second video of a giant crocodile went viral on social media, raising fears among the people.
In the video, the crocodile was seen sunbathing on the river bank before heading back into the river.
Primus had previously said the department would install traps in the area.
He urged the public to be vigilant when doing activities in and near the river to avoid any untoward incidents.
