Terrified locals find huge crocodile living under their homes
Terrified locals found a huge crocodile living in a canal under their homes in Thailand.
Keng Ploy-ngam, 64, heard snapping noises from under his wooden stilt house over the waterway in Samut Prakan, south of the capital Bangkok, on Monday (Mar 8).
He opened the door to check and was shocked when he noticed the reptile’s eyes and snout poking up through the water.
The resident shrieked as the beast submerged itself.
Keng called neighbours who said they had seen a light-coloured crocodile swimming at another spot.
Panicked locals evacuated their homes after hearing that a crocodile was on the loose.
‘The crocodile’s head was very big.
I don’t know how long the body was but when it flipped, I saw that its tail was enormous,’ one of the residents said.
Police arrived with government officials from the Department of Fisheries and Sompop Rajdee, 32, a crocodile expert.
He estimated that the croc was around 10 years old and might be more than two metres long.
He said it may have escaped from a nearby farm.
The team observed the situation for an hour but there was no sign of the beast so they ran electric currents through the canal and heard splashing noises when the crocodile was hit.
They then grappled with the beast after it floated to the surface.
Rescuers caught the animal and took it into a boat to wrap its mouth for their own safety.
The team quickly carried it to a car before the crocodile woke up five minutes later.
It was detained at the office of the Department of Fisheries to identify its origin.
Officials told locals to monitor the water under their homes in case any more crocodiles are seen.