The Star Malaysia

In Kinabatang­an, a croc drags a man into the river.

In Miri, some men were filmed cruelly killing a croc caught in a net.

- By STEPHANIE LEE and STEPHEN THEN newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: While a crocodile dragged a man into a river in Sabah’s Kinabatang­an district, a group of men was filmed killing another one entangled in a fishing net in Miri, Sarawak.

Two brothers were netting fish and prawns along the river in Kampung Sinar Jaya on Thursday evening when the younger of the two was taken by the huge reptile.

The older brother, in his 40s, could only look on in horror as his sibling was pulled underwater.

Kinabatang­an Fire and Rescue senior officer Ahmad Khairul Arif said the older brother ran home for help and alerted them at 8.44pm.

According to the man, the crocodile that took his brother was about 1.2m wide, said Ahmad Khairul.

“Our team travelled to the scene, but the search had to be called off at 10.35pm as it was too dark,” he said.

Civil defence personnel recovered the body of the 39-year-old victim at 3.25pm yesterday, about a kilometre away from where he was dragged underwater.

Over 10 deaths and dozens of injuries related to crocodile attacks have been reported in Kinabatang­an over the past five years.

Meanwhile, videos and pictures of a group of men brutally killing a crocodile have gone viral in Miri.

The incident is believed to have happened in Batu Satu, Miri.

The Star received videos from two different sources and forwarded the clips to senior Sarawak Forestry Corporatio­n (SFC) officials.

SFC general manager Oswald Bracken has directed the Wildlife Action Team to investigat­e the case.

“We want to identify the exact location,” he said.

The video shows several men, a few of them wearing safety helmets and work boots, bashing the head of a crocodile entangled in a net.

Miri Malaysian Nature Society chairman Musa Musbah said the killing was unnecessar­y.

“The crocodile was already caught in the net. These men could have just notified the authoritie­s like the police or forestry or fisheries to handle the crocodile.

“What they did was a case of cruelty and they should be hauled up and punished,” he said.

 ??  ?? Caught in the act: Screengrab­s from the videos showing a group of men brutally beating a crocodile entangled in a fishing net in Miri.
Caught in the act: Screengrab­s from the videos showing a group of men brutally beating a crocodile entangled in a fishing net in Miri.

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