Terengganu Perhilitan to set traps after re-emergence of croc "Mamat"

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) will soon install traps to move a saltwater crocodile or buaya tembaga which reappeared at an abandoned mining area in Kampung Tepoh, Kuala Nerus.

Its director, Dr Abdul Malek Mohd Yusuf said Perhilitan had received information on the sighting of the crocodile, referred as 'Mamat' by the locals.

"Don't get near it, as the animal will attack if it is threatened.

"Although Mamat is said to be tame when young, it still has the ambush predator characteristics and its getting bigger in size," he told Bernama when contacted today.

Since Wednesday a video footage of several residents including children within close range of the 5.79-metre long reptile and feeding it, has been making its rounds on Facebook.

Folks in Terengganu are already familiar with the crocodile as a video of villagers feeding the reptile first went viral in 2016 when it was just about one-metre long.

In 2019, Perhilitan Terengganu had set traps to capture the reptile but it was never caught or sighted again until recently.

-- BERNAMA