Employees and rescue workers take one of many escaped crocodiles back to
the Million Years Stone Park’s crocodile farm. This man-eating reptile
was one of dozens that escaped from the farm when record flooding hit
the area Sept. 11. Park officials admitted they had no idea how many
were still on the loose.
Theerarak
Suthathiwong
When Wanchai Thongchai heard suspicious noises coming
from the garden outside his East Pattaya home, he pulled out a
flashlight to investigate. Imagine his surprise when he found a
crocodile sitting there.
The 4-meter-long man-eating reptile was one of dozens
that escaped the Million Years Stone Park’s crocodile farm when record
flooding hit the area Sept. 11. By Sept. 14, 29 escaped amphibians had
been captured, but park officials admitted they had no idea how many
were still on the loose.
The announcement from Pattaya Crocodile Farm
executives sent the area around Soi Siam Country Club into a panic.
Nearly 2,900 of the amphibians - known to swallow whole children as old
as 8 - were in a man-made lake damaged by floods. Rushing water eroded
the reservoir’s walls, creating a cave that ran under the farm’s
perimeter fencing and out into the neighborhood.
While park officials initially said only a few of the
crocs escaped, they later admitted it could be more than 100, enraging
neighbors even further.
Brave men manage to
capture another escaped crocodile.
“How do you adequately explain how you feel when you
open your front door and this prehistoric monster is sitting there with
a look in his eye that basically says ‘I’m starving mate’?” asked
eastside resident David Burnett.
In Wanchai’s case, he wisely closed the door and
called police, which sent members of the Pattaya Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation Team to haul the amphibian away. It wasn’t easy.
Animal-control officers were trying to use electric sticks to shock the
croc into unconsciousness, the giant lizard escaped further into the
jungle. It was eventually apprehended.
A team of about 30 city workers is still scouring
jungle areas and ponds near the park. Meanwhile, crocodile farm
executives are offering 5,000 baht rewards for information leading to
capture of any of the escaped convicts.
Croc sightings can be reported by calling
081-408-4999.
A nighttime search turned
up this beast.
