The Indonesian authorities are offering a reward for saving the huge Siamese crocodile, that for many years has been living with a motorcycle tire on its neck and is now starting to suffocate in it.
An endangered, rare reptile was first discovered in a river near Palu, the provincial capital of Central Sulawesi, in 2016. Since then, local environmental authorities have made several unsuccessful attempts to free it from the durable rubber ring, which with the growth of the animal dragged on more and more tightly. Environmentalists dismantle the option of immobilizing the predator with the help of a tranquilizer, fearing that the reptile will float away before the sleeping pill acts and dies. Local environmental authorities tried for several years - and failing - to find a way to untangle the crocodile after the video showed that it was suffocating.
“The reward will be given to anyone who can free the ill-fated reptile,” Hasmuni Hasmar, head of the Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency, promised. It is noteworthy that information on the amount of remuneration for a successful rescue operation does not appear anywhere.
But its chief - who said the cash would come out of his own pocket - warned that he was not calling on amateurs to hunt down the reptile.
Siamese crocodile is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species. The total number of species is estimated at 5000. It lives in some countries of Southeast Asia and almost everywhere, is under the threat of complete extinction. The main danger is hunting and the reduction of its habitat.
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