Crocodiles on the loose in Chonburi Province.

Crocodiles are on the loose in Chonburi Province and officials believe they escaped from a nearby crocodile farm. A villager found one of the crocodiles while he was walking in his lotus field. Officials are now inspecting crocodile farms in the area to find the source. Kan Janwichian 53 years old the owner of a 15-rai lotus field in Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province first shared his story online. He shared a video of catching one crocodile that is 2 meters long. The crocodile was eating his ducks on the field. Many villagers have also spotted crocodiles while they were fishing. Villagers state they spotted the crocodiles swimming, and sun bathing with their mouth open. They are now terrified and are staying inside, avoiding any farming and fishing. 

 

 

Thongpong Kotmanee the Kao Chi Chorn village chief and related officials have started searching the area in hopes of tracking these crocodiles down. Officials received many notifications from villagers stating that they spotted crocodiles in different fields. There is a stream that runs through the district and officials believe the crocodiles will be near the waters according to their nature. The search team searched on 11 July 2022 and they have not found any crocodile tracks. There has been rain in the area for the past day so it may have washed the tracks away. 

 

 

Thongpong stated they are continuing the search along with warning those in the area to beware of crocodiles. There is a big crocodile farm about 500 meters away from where the first crocodile was caught. This is where officials believe the crocodiles came from. The owner of the farm has been contacted. They will be inspecting the farm to find any signs of crocodiles escaping. The Farm has permission to breed the crocodiles and currently have 3,954 fresh water crocodiles, 1,012 salt water crocodiles, and 506 hybrid crocodiles. Hopefully officials will be able to catch all the loose crocodiles before an incident occurs. 

 

Credit: Khaosod

 

FB Caption: Many villagers have spotted crocodiles in the province. 

 

Source: Khaosod 

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