Two brothers in Kampong Thom province were injured on Tuesday after catching two young crocodiles while net fishing in Achar Leak commune, a local police official said.
Nhen Chhunly, police chief in Stung Sen town said the victims, Chea Vichet, 24, and Chea Choeurn, 22, were pulling out fish when Vichet jumped in the water to free a tangle in their net.
He was bitten on the face before his brother jumped in to help and was hit on the chest by one of the reptiles’ tails. After capturing the animals they went home with their catch and then to hospital where their wounds were stitched.
“In the area there are plenty of crocodile breeding farms ... so those crocodiles might have escaped from their farm when they were small and hid in the streams and canals near the village,” Chhunly said.
Sun Hoeurn, Achar Leak commune chief said that authorities often checked on crocodile farms, noting that it was possible the reptiles could have escaped from poorly maintained facilities.
He added that the two crocodiles, one dead and one alive, were sent to provincial wildlife officers.
“We’ve never found crocodiles in our area before. We have come across them now because they must have escaped [from a farm] while they were small. Owners sometimes do not maintain their cages properly, so crocodiles can escape,” he added.
Meanwhile, a man was killed on Tuesday in Samor village in Stung Treng province’s Siem Pang district after he was gored by a buffalo had just bought.
According to a Sekong commune police report, Phan Thuy, 34, who lived in nearby Phabang village, was leading a bull buffalo he had just purchased when the rope escaped his grasp at Samor port and the animal ran into a rice field while he followed alone to retrieve it.
“People were wondering why it was taking him so long to catch the buffalo and went to search for him, but they found him dead in the rice field,” said Sekong commune chief Chan Sokha.
He added that an autopsy confirmed Thuy died due to the serious wounds on his neck and temple following the buffalo attack.
His body has been returned to his family.
