The day the reptile was taken to the old Sarawak Museum grounds (behind the building bordering to Kuching Plaza), I was there with one of my sisters (could not remember which one, though), to send our dad to do a follow-up.
I remembered not going in as the stench of the carcass makes me want to throw-up. So we stayed in the car. I can also still remember the newspaper article from the now defunct Sarawak Tribune, the next day on Bujang (Masri's father) who took home a piece of the crocs meat home and wondered if he could stomach eating them cos I do not think its permissible for a Muslim to eat the flesh of any animal that lives in 2 world or "alam" i.e. in the water and on land.Anyway, enjoy this piece.
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End of the Bujang Samarahan by James Ritchie
On the morning of November 22, 1993 I received a call from Haji Basri Mohamad who was in charge of the Sarawak branch of TV3. He said that the police had captured the Bujang Samarahan. We excitedly sped towards Kota Samarahan ferrypoint, about 32km away, where a marine police boat was waiting. We were hopeful that the reptile was still alive as it would not only provide good pictures but a good story.
BUJANG SAMARAHAN CAPTURED ALIVE, I imagined the headline. Like the story of the white-back Bujang Senang, it would have been the perfect ending--the only difference being that the Bujang Senang suffered a more ignominious end. In the case of the Bujang Senang, there was no single authority who could decide what to do with the carcass of this rare albino crocodile. By the time the museum authorities decided that it might be wise to preserve or stuff the reptile (or whatever was left) it was several days too late. For one thing the grieving relatives had hacked the reptile so badly leaving it badly mutilated and almost unsalvageable. So it was left to rot until the carcass, minus it's head (which was bought by Johnson Jong) was claimed by the sea. While I thought that this would be different, I was proven wrong because the officers men involved in the operations had other ideas.
A month earlier an operation was launched by the marine police following the killing of Abang Saperi on October 28. As usual, baits were set up at potentail crocodile haunts where large reptiles had been spotted in the past. The chance of baiting the same crocodile that took Abang Saperi and Masri in a river system which had several large reptiles was going to be remote.
Being related to the dinosaurs and having been in existence for 20 million years has it's advantages because Sarawak's modern-day crocodiles are known to be very sensitive to their greatest enemy--the human predator. Experienced crocodile catchers and hunters will tell you that crocodiles often refuse to take their baits, especially if human hands have touched it. And even if the officers involved in "Operasi Bujang Samarahan" did capture the assailant, it is not known if there as any clear-cut instruction on the action to take.
As we arrived at the scene at Lubok Pauh, about two milometers from Kota Samarahan just before 8 a.m. we were told the bad news. The reptile which had taken a bait had been killed. Apparently two police marksmen Awi anak Brodie and Busau anak Luanka and six other hunters had come across a hugh reptile which had taken a bait. They spotted a white plastic jerrycan, which was attached to the bait, moved indicating that the reptile which had swallowed the bait, was moving with the current. Without proper insutructions and fearing that the baited animal might turn on them they hurled four grenades into the water and fired at least 14 rounds of ammunition in a ferocious 30 minute battle.
When we arrived at the scene it was over. Awi said:"We couldn't help it...it was struggling and there was no way we could haul the anmal in. I pumped a few rounds into the reptile just in case it capsize a boat or hurt any of us."
The crocodile was hauled into a sampan and taken to Kampung Melayu, the very village where it killed Abang Saperi. As the hugh creature was carried from the sampan onto the land, a crowd gathered to pose with the crocodile which, surprisingly measured only 4.6 metres long and 225kg in weight. This time the authorities arranged for the reptile to be carted to the marine fisheries cold room in Bintawa where it was stored for the night.
The following day the reptile was carted to the Sarawak museum grounds and arrangements were made for Abang Saperi's widow, Patemah Abang Saud, to witness Dr. Charles Leh from the museum cut open the reptile. To her shock they found a gold-coloured timpiece belonging to Abang Saperi in the stomach. The crocodile had apparently taken off the victim's hand which had a watch and a ring when it snapped at Abang Saperi. Also inside the stomach was a large hook which the reptile had taken. Abang Saperi's ring was however missing.
Based on it's size and skin texture, the reptile was estimated to be about 50 years old. So it was confirmed that Abang Saperi's killer had been accounted for.
Also at the museum was Bujang bin Ahmad, the father of Masri, who was convinced that the reptile was the same one that killed his son. Apparently he took a small portion of the crocodile meat home.Taking the flesh of the killer crocodile was no easy task, but it was something that Bujang had to do to satisfy himself. "I am convinced that the crocodile is the one that killed my son. Now I am avenged."
Another episode of crocodile attacks had ended at Batang Samarahan which had not seen any crocodile attacks since the Japanese occupation. The NST had written a series of killer crocodiles along the river system in 1988 following the sighting of several large reptiles measuring in access of 18 feet, but no action was taken. Now it was no use crying over spilt milk as two people had been killed. In any case, would a police operation have deterred the attacks. Or was it fated that Masri and Abang Saperi would die at the hands of the same crocodile? It was later learnt that Masri and Abang Saperi's family were distantly related. Was this pure coincidence or something more than that?
On the morning of November 22, 1993 I received a call from Haji Basri Mohamad who was in charge of the Sarawak branch of TV3. He said that the police had captured the Bujang Samarahan. We excitedly sped towards Kota Samarahan ferrypoint, about 32km away, where a marine police boat was waiting. We were hopeful that the reptile was still alive as it would not only provide good pictures but a good story.
BUJANG SAMARAHAN CAPTURED ALIVE, I imagined the headline. Like the story of the white-back Bujang Senang, it would have been the perfect ending--the only difference being that the Bujang Senang suffered a more ignominious end. In the case of the Bujang Senang, there was no single authority who could decide what to do with the carcass of this rare albino crocodile. By the time the museum authorities decided that it might be wise to preserve or stuff the reptile (or whatever was left) it was several days too late. For one thing the grieving relatives had hacked the reptile so badly leaving it badly mutilated and almost unsalvageable. So it was left to rot until the carcass, minus it's head (which was bought by Johnson Jong) was claimed by the sea. While I thought that this would be different, I was proven wrong because the officers men involved in the operations had other ideas.
A month earlier an operation was launched by the marine police following the killing of Abang Saperi on October 28. As usual, baits were set up at potentail crocodile haunts where large reptiles had been spotted in the past. The chance of baiting the same crocodile that took Abang Saperi and Masri in a river system which had several large reptiles was going to be remote.
Being related to the dinosaurs and having been in existence for 20 million years has it's advantages because Sarawak's modern-day crocodiles are known to be very sensitive to their greatest enemy--the human predator. Experienced crocodile catchers and hunters will tell you that crocodiles often refuse to take their baits, especially if human hands have touched it. And even if the officers involved in "Operasi Bujang Samarahan" did capture the assailant, it is not known if there as any clear-cut instruction on the action to take.
As we arrived at the scene at Lubok Pauh, about two milometers from Kota Samarahan just before 8 a.m. we were told the bad news. The reptile which had taken a bait had been killed. Apparently two police marksmen Awi anak Brodie and Busau anak Luanka and six other hunters had come across a hugh reptile which had taken a bait. They spotted a white plastic jerrycan, which was attached to the bait, moved indicating that the reptile which had swallowed the bait, was moving with the current. Without proper insutructions and fearing that the baited animal might turn on them they hurled four grenades into the water and fired at least 14 rounds of ammunition in a ferocious 30 minute battle.
When we arrived at the scene it was over. Awi said:"We couldn't help it...it was struggling and there was no way we could haul the anmal in. I pumped a few rounds into the reptile just in case it capsize a boat or hurt any of us."
The crocodile was hauled into a sampan and taken to Kampung Melayu, the very village where it killed Abang Saperi. As the hugh creature was carried from the sampan onto the land, a crowd gathered to pose with the crocodile which, surprisingly measured only 4.6 metres long and 225kg in weight. This time the authorities arranged for the reptile to be carted to the marine fisheries cold room in Bintawa where it was stored for the night.
The following day the reptile was carted to the Sarawak museum grounds and arrangements were made for Abang Saperi's widow, Patemah Abang Saud, to witness Dr. Charles Leh from the museum cut open the reptile. To her shock they found a gold-coloured timpiece belonging to Abang Saperi in the stomach. The crocodile had apparently taken off the victim's hand which had a watch and a ring when it snapped at Abang Saperi. Also inside the stomach was a large hook which the reptile had taken. Abang Saperi's ring was however missing.
Based on it's size and skin texture, the reptile was estimated to be about 50 years old. So it was confirmed that Abang Saperi's killer had been accounted for.
Also at the museum was Bujang bin Ahmad, the father of Masri, who was convinced that the reptile was the same one that killed his son. Apparently he took a small portion of the crocodile meat home.Taking the flesh of the killer crocodile was no easy task, but it was something that Bujang had to do to satisfy himself. "I am convinced that the crocodile is the one that killed my son. Now I am avenged."
Another episode of crocodile attacks had ended at Batang Samarahan which had not seen any crocodile attacks since the Japanese occupation. The NST had written a series of killer crocodiles along the river system in 1988 following the sighting of several large reptiles measuring in access of 18 feet, but no action was taken. Now it was no use crying over spilt milk as two people had been killed. In any case, would a police operation have deterred the attacks. Or was it fated that Masri and Abang Saperi would die at the hands of the same crocodile? It was later learnt that Masri and Abang Saperi's family were distantly related. Was this pure coincidence or something more than that?
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