Crocodile Gently Returns Body Of Drowned 4-Year-Old To Rescuers In Indonesia
The toddler's body was found to be completely intact.
By Kay Ng — 30 Jan 2023, 05:43 PM
A giant crocodile reportedly reunited a family in Indonesia with their deceased son by bringing the toddler's body to his rescuers on 20 January
In a viral video that has garnered 300,000 views on social media at the time of writing, the reptile can be seen carrying the young boy's body on its back.
The crocodile then releases the boy's body next to a rescue boat, before sinking back into the waters of the Makaham River in East Kalimantan.
According to Detik News, the toddler was later identified as four-year-old Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya, who had gone missing on 18 January.
Members from the province's Search and Rescue Agency had already been searching for the boy since he first disappeared
"Around 7am, the team received information from the family that they saw a crocodile carrying a human body," said the East Kalimantan Basarnas Search and Relief Office head, Melkianus Kotta.
"When the crocodile was near the family, it immediately released the body," he said.
He stated that the crocodile had carried the corpse 1.5km from the location where the boy was thought to have drowned, adding that the corpse was completely intact.
The circumstances that led to the toddler's drowning is unknown.
A wildlife researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) provided a possible explanation for the crocodile's unusual behaviour
Amir Ma'ruf told Detik News that local residents often feed the crocodiles, leading to a reciprocal relationship between the two species.
"That particular crocodile was probably fed a few times," he said.
He explained that this close relationship causes the crocodiles in the area to not see humans as prey, as both live so closely together.
"It's used to people and it's used to certain types of food."
