Australian outback crocodile wranglers FAIL in their attempt to remove a tyre from the neck of a ‘boss’ reptile in Indonesia
- Crocodile wrangler Matt Wright failed in his first attempt to rescue the reptile
- He travelled to Indonesia after following the story online for the last 18 months
- After four days on the water he said he had to return to Australia
- Despite the initial failure Wright is confident the team will succeed
Australian crocodile wranglers have failed in their first attempt to capture a 13-foot reptile with a tyre stuck around its neck.
Matt Wright, one of the country’s most recognisable wildlife experts, flew to Indonesia last week after following online reports about the four-metre-long beast.
He spent the best part of a week trying to capture the reptile, nicknamed ‘Boss’, in what he said was one of the toughest he’s encountered.
Australian crocodile wrangler Matt Wright said he has failed in his attempt to remove the tyre from the 13-foot reptile’s neck (pictured)
Mr Wright (pictured with some of the Indonesian team he worked with) tracked reports on ‘boss’ for 18 months before deciding to lend his expertise to the rescue
‘We failed, we spent quite a bit of time on the water, we went out last night and didn’t even get sight of him,’ Wright said.
‘He’s had two weeks of people trying to catch him, he is sick of it, he is over it, he’s stressing, he just wants to lay there and sun bake and just enjoy his time.’
‘We’re not going to stop until we succeed. We’ve got such a good team over here, everyone’s been hooking in (and) everyone’s been doing such a good job.
‘We are going to keep on this mission and we are going to catch this crocodile, it’s just time.’
Wright said he would return every couple of months for the next year to help capture the elusive crocodile.
‘I believe the tyre has been around the croc’s neck for a few years now with the croc being able to survive and live unaffected,’ Mr Wright posted on Instagram.
He said after four days they were still unable to wrangle the beast (pictured) and he is forced to return to Australia but he said he would return every coupe of months until they succeed
‘Our contacts in Indonesia have shared recent pictures of the crocodile which show the tyre looking tighter than ever before with the poor fella gasping for air and officials now fearing the tyre is slowly killing the beast.’
However after seeing things first hand Wright said the tyre posed no immediate danger to the crocodile but in time it would.
As a result he’s confident the team will succeed before ‘boss’ grows larger and starts getting choked by the tyre.
‘I did get a couple really good shots last night, but wasn’t on my game and missed,’ Mr Wright posted in an Instagram update.
‘It’s all about getting the right opportunity to get a good run at catching him and they’re far and few between.
Mr Wright and his team are working with the Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Agency (BKSDA Jakarta) and the Indonesian government to catch the beast.
However after four unsuccessful nights on the water the Indonesian team are being stretched to their limits.
In response Mr Wright has started a GoFundMe page to keep the team active and with the resources they need.
Despite having to return to Australia until May Mr Wright (pictured with wife Kaia) has set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for the local team to continue their attempts at a rescue