MELAKA: An elderly woman from Negri Sembilan underwent an agonising experience for the first time in 30 years of collecting prawns after she was dragged by a saltwater crocodile along the banks of Sungai Timun.
Duyong assemblyman Datuk Mohd Noor Helmy Abdul Halim said that he went to visit the woman, in her 60s, at Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital (HTJ) in Seremban last week after he heard the woman was attacked by the reptile while looking for prawns.
"The woman was ascending from her boat close to a jetty when suddenly the crocodile tried to drag her into the river,' he said when contacted on Tuesday (Sept 5).
He said the woman told him she had never been attacked by the crocodile in three decades of collecting prawns by cruising along the river.
Mohd Noor Helmy, who is also Melaka's science, technology, innovation and digital communications committee deputy chairman, said the woman underwent corrective surgery on Monday (Sept 4) after she suffered injuries due to the attack.
He said the woman who is popularly known as " Makcik Nurkaisar" had fiercely fought with the crocodile when it lunged out and attempted to drag her into the body of water.
"It was a horrifying moment for her and fortunately she was able to overpower the crocodile," he said.
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Mohd Noor Helmy said he had met the woman on two occasions to ask about her experience searching for prawns along the river that spans between the borders of Negri Sembilan and here.
"This is the first time we are hearing of a crocodile attacking a human along the river," he added.
Sungai Timun is a tributary of Sungai Linggi, which is a habitat for saltwater crocodiles.
A total of 164 observations of these crocodiles were recorded in a study conducted in 2020 with the largest species observed measuring 5m long and the smallest was 1m long.
Saltwater crocodile is a threatened wildlife species and is fully protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).