A reward is being offered to anyone able to free a crocodile which has had a tyre stuck around its neck for three years.
Indonesian authorities are calling on experienced conservationists to help rescue the 13-foot-long saltwater crocodile from the motorbike tyre.
The beast, which is believed to be a highly endangered Siamese crocodile, was first spotted in the Palu River and Palu Bay in the Central Sulawesi province in 2016.
Officials have not revealed the exact figure on offer as a reward, declaring: "A reward will be given to anyone who can release the hapless reptile."
The head of the Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Hasmuni Hasmar, has said the money would come out of his own pocket, but has warned amateurs not to attempt the dangerous feat.
"We're asking the general public not to get close to the crocodile or disturb its habitat," he said.
The crocodile survived the tsunami and earthquake that devastated the province’s capital city in 2018, but the tyre has not budged.
For years conservationists have tried and failed to release it due to a lack of expertise.
A number of attempts were made in 2018, including an animal whisperer who was brought in to try and remove the tyre, to no avail.
The tyre is lodged around the endangered beast's neck and as it grows bigger, the risk of suffocation intensifies.
