Singapore is having a week of wildlife plot twists, from a rare Malayan tapir wandering a Singapore car park to the first-ever crocodile spotted in Sentosa, who might just be better at island hopping than the people trying to track it down. Hot on the heels of the famous reptile sighting off Sentosa Cove last weekend, another crocodile was sighted near Changi Naval Base this week. And if it’s the same crocodile, it deserves an award for its eluding despite days of search efforts, surveillance, and suspended beach activities. Here’s what we know.
How did the Changi crocodile sighting unfold?
The latest crocodile sighting was shared to Facebook by the Republic of Singapore Navy on February 4. The sea soldiers from its 9th Flotilla briefly spotted the unexpected creature in the waters off RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base. The reptile lingered only for a short while before swimming back out towards the Singapore Strait.
Although, the Changi crocodile sighting was enough to trigger stepped-up monitoring around the base and fresh safety reminders for people in nearby coastal areas. In fact, the last reported sighting of a crocodile in Changi was in 2017.
What has really captured public attention is the possibility that this could be the same crocodile seen at Sentosa on January 31. The navy itself referenced the earlier incident in its post, while authorities still have not located the Sentosa crocodile despite intensive checks off the resort island, Marina South Pier, and the Southern Islands.
Meanwhile, NParks continues to advise the public to stay calm and back away slowly if they encounter a crocodile, and to avoid approaching, provoking, touching, or feeding it. Plus, any sightings should be reported to the NParks Animal Response Centre. Indeed, it’s officially a top croc for outrunning search teams if it’s the same estuarine crocodile as Sentosa.
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