Water activities in Pandan Reservoir have been temporarily halted after a crocodile was spotted in the waters.
Search and capture operations are ongoing, said national water agency PUB in a Facebook post on Thursday (20 Aug) night.
Source: Google Maps
The reptile was seen at about 3pm on Thursday, PUB said.
PUB was alerted, and it in turn informed the National Parks Board (NParks).
It is likely to be an estuarine crocodile, PUB noted, based on its photo.
Source: National Parks Board
According to NParks’ website, estuarine crocodiles are the world’s largest crocodile species, with lengths of up to 7m.
Also known as saltwater crocodiles, they typically live in brackish and freshwater environments such as coastal areas and wetlands.
As they often remain submerged, they are difficult to detect. They are also well camouflaged on land due to their brown hides.
They can be found in the Straits of Johor and the Straits of Singapore, and hunt for fish mainly at night.
PUB has informed the Singapore Rowing Association (SRA) and Singapore Canoe Federation (SCF) to suspend all activities.
Both organisations conduct water activities such as kayaking, canoeing, canoe polo, dragon boating and rowing in the reservoir.
SCF also operates a public paddling centre at Pandan Reservoir.
Source: Google Maps
Search and capture operations are being conducted in the reservoir by NParks and PUB.
Signs are also being installed around the reservoir to alert the public and advise people to be cautious.
Members of the public who encounter a crocodile are advised to stay calm and back away, and avoid approaching, provoking or feeding the reptile.
They may contact NParks at 1800-476-1600 or PUB at 1800-2255-782 to report the sighting.
Also read: Beachgoer tries to enter water at Sentosa after crocodile sightings, lifeguard stops her in time
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Featured images adapted from Google Maps.