On January 21, a crocodile helped in recovering the body of a drowned 4-year-old boy, identified as Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya, in Indonesia. The boy was reported missing for two days. Reports suggest that the animal approached the search and rescue team and returned the fully intact body of the boy.
A crocodile caught on camera carrying the body of a toddler above his head in the Mahakam River, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia 🇮🇩
— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) January 21, 2023
Muhammad Ziyad Wijaya, 4 years old, was reportedly drowned & has been missing for 2 dayshttps://t.co/NsonbJEsHN pic.twitter.com/nBCuY8kXXQ
This incident took place in the Jawa Estuary in Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan. The local authorities had initiated a search and rescue operation after Mohammed went missing. After a search for two days, the team spotted a crocodile with a human body in its mouth. It swam close to the boat of the officers, who then retrieved the body.
During the preliminary examination, the team found no bite marks on the child’s body, and it was fully intact. The officials said in a statement that it appeared the crocodile helped retrieve the body. They said, “Nothing was missing, everything was intact. We think the crocodile actually aided in the search for the victim.”
Reports suggest that it is unclear what led to the boy’s death or if the crocodiles in the estuary were involved in the disappearance.
Notably, a similar incident occurred in 2017 when a 40-year-old man was dragged into the water by a crocodile. The locals used a “crocodile whisperer” to retrieve the body.
