A brave 34-year-old Indonesian has hit fame for freeing a wild crocodile of a motorcycle tyre that had been stuck around its neck for the last six years. years. The crocodile had started having difficulty in breathing and it was feared it would choke to death as it grew bigger.
The self- taught rescuer identified as Tili tracked the crocodile for three weeks before he succeeding in capturing the reptile, after two failed attempts, by offering live chicken and ducks as bait, according to a BBC report.
In a video going viral, the man on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi cuts through the tyre with a saw as local residents keep the crocodile’s eyes and mouth covered to keep it calm. The reptile was then released in the river again with the help of firefighters.
Locals have been aware of the four-metre-long crocodile first spotted in a river since 2016. Conservationists believe someone may have deliberately placed the tyre around the animal’s neck in a failed attempt to trap it as a pet, The Strait Times reported.
In 2020, an Australian crocodile wrangler, Matt Wright attempted to free the reptile but was unsuccessful, according to ABC.Net. That year island authorities even offered to pay monetary compensation for anyone who could help the animal.
However, Tili told the Reuters news agency that it was not about the reward. “I just can’t stand to see animals hurt. Even snakes, I will help. Many people were sceptical about me and thought I was not serious about capturing the crocodile, he added.
