HULU BERNAM: A 'Malayan gharial' or more commonly known as a 'false gharial' crocodile which appeared near the Sungai Bernam dam here three weeks ago was captured by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) this morning.
Fisherman, Shaharin Samsuddin, 59, said that the crocodile was caught using a rope before it was pulled up to the riverbank.
Shaharin added that effort to capture the four-metre long crocodile which weighed about 100kg was not that difficult as it could smell human presence.
“The Perhilitan team took about 30 minutes to catch the crocodile using the rope tied around the crocodile's body and snout.
“The dam is a famous location amongst anglers, with a wide range of fish species. We can finally breathe a sigh of relief when the crocodile was caught,” he said when contacted today.
Yesterday, NSTP reported that anglers were worried over their safety following the presence of the crocodile at the dam since three weeks ago.
The four-meter crocodile was said to have appeared near the riverbank.
Since then, the dam has become an attraction for folks who wanted to catch a glimpse of the freshwater reptile.
The 'false gharial' is a freshwater crocodile native to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra and Java.