There used to be one, and then two crocodiles in Sungei Buloh Wetland.
Last Sunday I was there and I counted 6, two adults, two young adults
and two baby crocodiles. The river is rich in fish and is a very safe
and fertile sanctuary for the crocodiles to breed. At the rate the
crocodiles are breeding, soon there will be a football team and then
many football teams.
At the moment things are pretty quite, a lull before the storm. The
crocodiles are free swimmers and could get out of the wetland into the
surrounding areas when children and beach goers frequented. The closest
is the mouth of the embanked Kranji River where there is a popular beach
for picnickers. And if there is some nasty incidents waiting to happen,
this must be the first spot to happen.
I hope the Parks and Recreation Dept is watching this development and
has put in place some monitoring and control measures to check on the
crocodiles before they snap their jaws on some children or human beans.
This is clear and present danger. Let’s hope a committee is formed now
to tackle this potential threat and not after someone lost a leg or his
life. Crocodiles are nice to watch from the comfort of elevated bridges
or ground. But they can turn very nasty and the damage is beyond just
regrettable.
Immediate action is needed from the ministry in charge. Maybe no
ministry is in charge. Or maybe there are more immediate problems to
tackle and this has yet to be a problem. No one got bitten by a
crocodile yet. Would those in charge of catching pythons and wild boars
be the best to take care of this problem akan datang? Maybe someone can
give them a call. Maybe better to wait until the haze and dengue
problems are solved before bringing this matter up.
Did you see Lim Boon Heng there?
ReplyDeleteYes it is true. The croc population definitely increasing in tandem with decreasing sinkie numbers. My golf club has put up croc warning signs at all water hazards in the courses. Beside croc there are also more buaya( a relative of croc)at the golf courses. More people also wearing croc shoes. Serious problem looming! Committee, task force and focus groups must be formed to look into this very croc problem first identified by RB.
ReplyDeleteYa, RB is warning people about crocodiles and crocodile tears.
ReplyDelete.....it is goooooooooood!....
ReplyDelete..cheers...
Ha, ha.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can send in another admiral or general to Sungei Buloh to improve the situation.
Maybe so many crocodiles is a once in 50 years sighting. Redbean did not see the right things.
Maybe Millionaire Bala will see this as an opportunity to start a crocodile farming industry in Sungei Buloh.
Redbean is too negative. See problem where none existed.
Maybe PAPigs will show that Sungei Buloh is safe.
Maybe have annual PAPig picnic in Sungei Buloh.
How about a minister walking in the river to prove to the people that it is safe, like drinking shit water?
ReplyDeleteSinkies must welcome the growing populations in crocs, lizards, rats, pigeons, snakes, cockroaches and maybe other species. They may save them from hunger one day. But beware of the two legged crocs that shed tears for You, they dont make food out of You; they make You slaves to feed them.
ReplyDeleteRB, Sin City already so infested with thousands and thousands if not millions worst predators. Yr eyes paste stamps meh? Walked ard mbfc never see meh? Dont u think some on dryland worst than the buaya u saw at the wetland?
ReplyDeleteWhat is happenning in Sinkieland? Instead of promoting human procreation and failing mierably, it seems the procreation and incentives have targeted the wrong species, with mosquitoes and crocodiles multiplying ferociously.
ReplyDelete@ 3.48Pm /it seems the procreation and incentives have targeted the wrong species, with mosquitoes and crocodiles multiplying ferociously./
ReplyDeleteU hv forgoten puppies as well!
The crocs most likely escape from the croc farm nearby, it does not allow visitors, i remember some years back reading about crocs escaping during a heavy downpour.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone,
ReplyDeleteAs a crocodile expert I can tell you that yes these are indeed wild saltwater crocodiles, Crocodylus porosus. They most likely moved into Sungei Buloh from a river across the Johor strait in Malaysia or, perhaps more likely, from a river in Sumatra or one of the Sumatran islands close to Singapore. Crocodiles are present on Great Karimun and a few other islands nearby; some are also present within the Pulai River in Johor. The largest numbers in the area are likely in the Rangsang Island/Tebing Tinggi Island area in Riau, Sumatra; my guess is these Sungei Buloh crocodiles have moved in from one of these areas. Saltwater crocodiles can travel thousands of kilometers at see, and many of these locations are only a few dozen km at the most. You should be proud to have the largest reptile species on Earth re-colonizing your country (they have been extinct in Singapore for 60 years or so); it is a sign that the environment is rebounding. Safety is an issue, particularly wen the adult crocodiles begin to reach the 3.5-4 meter range, but basic common sense should keep any tragedies from occurring. Once the population reaches a very large size (hundreds), then it may be necessary to have control officers removing them from problem areas. But, until then, enjoy the crocodiles and don't do dumb things like swimming in their habitat.
Thanks anon 6:22 for your comments. The crocodiles are the big attraction at the wetland now. Many go there just to watch them, including me.
ReplyDeleteMy immediate concern is the surrounding seas where there are a lot of picnickers and children playing. Hope the Parks Dept has done something to warn people of the crocs presence and keep a distance and look out for them when playing near the waters.
@redbean:
ReplyDelete>> the surrounding seas where there are a lot of picnickers and children playing.
No problem lah. Their parents like to get close to and be one with nature.
So if the crocs eat their kids, that should be a good thing. You can't get any closer to nature than that ;-)
Poke salad Annie,
'Gators got yur granny -- chomp, chomp, chomp
@redbean
ReplyDeleteThis is anon 6:22; looks like there are a lot of less than stellar comments here. Anyway, I agree that safety measures must be taken. Here in northern Australia we have a lot of saltwater crocodiles (exact same species as the ones in Sungei Buloh)- croc education programs, warning signs and removal of problem crocodiles from urban areas have all worked wonderfully to mitigate conflict. Fatal attacks are fairly rare in northern Australia (typically only 1-2 per year) given that we have around 200,000 saltwater crocodiles. Singapore is like Australia in that people do not need to use the rivers and lakes for bathing, drinking water, etc. In Sumatra, where attacks are more frequent, people are poor and thus they are in contact with crocodiles more frequently. In Singapore I think everything will be okay so long as people are careful in areas that might have crocodiles- most notably Sungei Buloh and Kranji Reservoir. Large saltwater crocodiles are extremely dangerous, but living alongside them is possible. The presence of wild crocodiles can also be an economic boost, as people will pay good money to see these animals in the wild. Fatal attacks have happened in Singapore in the past, during the first half of the 20th Century and back further.