SONGKHLA: A 3-metre crocodile seen sunbathing near a canal in a Hat Yai community on Thursday morning has avoided all attempts to capture and relocate it.
The reptile was seen on an islet near Khlong Wa in Noppakao community in Kho Hong area of Hat Yai district.
Rescuers were called in to capture the crocodile, but it dived into the canal and swam off as they approached it.
The croc kept returning to the water's surface and sometimes returning onshore to enjoy the sun. Whenever would-be-captors moved closer, it returned to the water and lurked around the canal.
Nothing worked. The hunters laid out five chicken carcasses as lures on the islet where it was earlier spotted, to no avail.
The Songkhla Fisheries Office has been asked to send experts to capture the animal before it escapes into U-Tapao canal, a major waterway in Songkhla. It would be an uphill task to catch it in such a large canal.
