Professional Fisherman Challenges Crocodile Warning With Cash Prize

On September 6, the Samut Songkhram fisheries office warned residents about a crocodile-like animal measuring 2-3 metres that appeared near the embankment in front of Bangkluay Temple in Roeng Heep subdistrict, Bangkunti district. Although officials investigated and found footprints and drag marks in the soil, they could not definitively identify the animal, causing alarm among Mae Klong riverside residents and affecting local livelihoods and tourism.

A journalist surveyed local fishermen and river workers about the incident. Yuttaphum, 49, a professional shrimp fisher, confidently asserted the tracks are definitely not from a crocodile and offered a monetary reward to prove the truth. He revealed that he and his father have worked as shrimpers since childhood, fishing the Mae Klong river and its tributaries throughout their lives, and he has never encountered a crocodile. He said the rumours are merely hearsay without clear evidence, and the hasty warning without solid proof has caused panic and widespread harm to river workers.

"To challenge the truth," he announced a 10,000-baht reward for anyone who can provide clear evidence of a crocodile, but only through live-streamed video on a mobile phone by September 8 to ensure real-time footage with no video editing and guarantee authenticity. He will pay the cash immediately to anyone meeting these conditions.

If the deadline passes with no sightings, he urged all parties to end the matter and stop keeping residents in fear. He called on officials and experts to consult local people who have lived on the waterways for decades and to assess situations carefully before reaching hasty conclusions that cause unnecessary panic, warning that false information could escalate the situation.