Bandar Lampung. A woman in Bandar Lampung broke down in tears as authorities took away a roughly 2-meter-long saltwater crocodile she had raised from an egg for three years, following complaints over safety and the unauthorized keeping of protected wildlife.

Wike, 41, cried and screamed on Saturday as officers carried the crocodile away from her home in Panjang district and loaded it onto a vehicle.

The animal was being transferred to a captive wildlife facility in Indralaya, South Sumatra, after its presence in the densely populated neighborhood prompted concerns from residents.

For the past three years, Wike had kept the crocodile in a small makeshift pool at her home in Bandar Lampung, the capital of Lampung province at the southern tip of Sumatra.

Local Fisheries Ministry official Hade Hambrata said the saltwater crocodile is a protected species and cannot legally be kept by members of the public without the required permit.

Officials had explained the regulations to Wike before removing the animal, he said.

“The crocodile will become an animal under state custody and will be placed at a captive wildlife facility to ensure that its food and health needs are properly taken care of,” Hade said.

Three-Year Bond
Panjang District Head Hendri Satria Jaya said the evacuation initially proved difficult because Wike had developed a strong emotional attachment to the crocodile.

“After we explained the situation persuasively in the interests of public safety and the animal's welfare, the owner's family eventually cooperated and agreed to let the crocodile be evacuated,” Hendri said.

He said keeping a dangerous wild animal in a residential neighborhood posed a potential threat to surrounding residents and required authorities to intervene.

“The crocodile had been kept by the resident for approximately three years. We are grateful that the wild animal could finally be evacuated after negotiations and a persuasive approach by the team,” he said.

For Wike, however, the crocodile had become part of the family.

She said her parents found the animal as an egg near the Pelindo port area in Panjang on Sept. 11, 2023. They took the egg home, where it eventually hatched.

The family then raised the crocodile for the next three years.

Wike said feeding it alone cost around Rp 100,000 ($6) a day.

“It eats chicken at around 3 p.m. every day. It can eat two chickens or more, depending on how much money we have,” she said.

Despite the expense, Wike continued caring for the crocodile as it grew to around 2 meters in length.

Its unusual presence in the neighborhood eventually became widely known after a video of the crocodile was posted on social media. The footage prompted criticism from internet users as well as concerns among nearby residents.

Authorities subsequently moved to remove the animal on safety and wildlife-protection grounds.

Although visibly distraught at losing an animal she had cared for since before it hatched, Wike ultimately allowed officials to take the crocodile to the wildlife facility.

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