A “Beware of baby crocodiles” sign in Soi Palai remains in place because officials cannot be sure that there are no reptiles in the area, said Korrawat Phatthanakor from Chalong Municipality's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation office.
“The sign was posted many months ago after a fisherman found a baby crocodile in this area. The parents of the baby crocodile were not found, so we worry that mature reptiles might still be in the area as well as other baby crocodiles”, Mr Korrawat said.
“That is why we decided to leave the sign there. If you see a crocodile do not approach it, just call us at 076-374105”, he warned.
On Feb 2, The Phuket News' Thai-language sister paper Khao Phuket reported that residents of Soi Na Kok in Chalong's Moo 5 caught a 2-3 months old baby crocodile. The reptile was about 50 centimeters long weighing about 300 grams.
The crocodile was caught by Suchatri Anoma, 37, on Feb. 1, near a local lake and only 50 meters away from one of the houses. There were no reports of any adult crocodiles spotted in the area leaving people wondering where the little crocodile's mom and dad could be (read original story in Thai here).