Residents of Thawornwattana Tai Village in Kamphaeng Phet province were thrown into a state of panic after a crocodile escaped from Wat Thawornwattana Tai and devoured two ducks before appearing in a pond near a local school.
The incident began when Mrs. Somnuek Phetchaburi, a resident living at house number 72 near Thawornwattana Tai School, spotted a large creature in her pond while collecting vegetables on the afternoon of August 2nd. Initially mistaking it for a monitor lizard, she threw a rock at it, but the creature turned its long snout toward her, revealing itself to be a crocodile. Mrs. Somnuek immediately called her neighbors, who confirmed the sighting and alerted the village headman.
By the time the village headman arrived, the crocodile had already eaten two ducks and was lying contentedly on a wooden raft by the pond. When a crowd gathered to observe, the startled crocodile swam back into the pond, regurgitating one of the ducks and swimming around with it in its mouth.
Rescue workers from Sawang Kamphaeng Phet, Thong Watthana station, and villagers spent more than five hours attempting to corral the crocodile to prevent it from escaping into nearby dense forest and irrigation canals, which would have made capture much more difficult.
Upon the arrival of the fishery department officials, they tried to catch the crocodile using boats and ropes but were initially unsuccessful. After several hours of concerted effort, they finally managed to capture the crocodile after dark. The captured reptile, a large specimen, was handed over to the Freshwater Fisheries Research and Development Center, Region 2, in Nakhon Sawan for safekeeping.
Mr. Chawalit Wichianrat, the village headman, explained that the crocodile, along with another one, had been donated to Wat Thawornwattana Tai by a benefactor from Bueng Samakkhi district many years ago. The temple had securely housed the crocodiles since they were young and docile. It remains unclear how the crocodile managed to escape, leading to the commotion. Mr. Chawalit coordinated with the original owner and the authorities to ensure the crocodile was captured promptly to prevent any potential danger to the villagers, especially if it had entered the village waterways.
Mrs. Somnuek, the first to discover the crocodile, recounted her experience without fear or surprise. Instead, she saw the incident as an opportunity for good fortune and promptly reported it to the village headman.
