TAWAU: The remains of a 60-year-old man who went missing in Kg Mas-Mas Nasib Kita were discovered inside a crocodile as the search operation entered its fourth day, Sunday.
Tawau Fire and Rescue Station Chief Jemishin Ujin said Addi Bangsa’s remains was recovered when the stomach of the 800kg male crocodile was slit open by a Wildlife Department team. He said the team spotted and shot the 14.11-foot long reptile on July 19.
“The team then dissected the massive crocodile’s stomach. The victim’s identity was determined by family members before the body was turned over to police for further action,” he said.
A search and rescue operation comprising teams from the Tawau Fire and Rescue Department, Wildlife Department, Civil Defence Force, police and the Sapura Team, was initially launched after being alerted about the crocodile attack at 7.03am on Thursday.
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A process of “deduction and elimination” helped wildlife rangers pick out the crocodile.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the rangers were surveying the crocodile infested area around Kg Sungai Mas Mas for a while and zoomed in on the largest reptile within the area.
“The one they (rangers) shot was the biggest one in the search area. It surfaced, they got the right culprit, it was also a bit of luck.
“Others were juveniles so they spared them because they considered them small crocodiles unable to cause fatal attack on humans,” he said.
He said rangers recorded a total of about 11-12 juvenile crocodiles in the area.
He said the crocodile was spotted about 1.5km away from the house where the victim was attacked.
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