Buaya Spotted in Yishun!
What's green (or brown), has a long snout, tough leather skin, and rows of sharp teeth? Answer. The BUAYA!!! Not sure if I should say that I am lucky. But I saw a live buaya today. Please note I am not referring to the human buayas which we have come to associate this term with locally. The buaya that I saw was a real crocodile or alligator. Still cannot remember what's the difference between the 2 of them. Anyway, here's how I became one of the rare few people on the island to actually see a buaya outside a zoo/leather farm.
Today, like any other boring working day, I was comfortably slouched against the glass barrier in our MRT trains. As the train was travelling past the huge body of water between Khatib and Yio Chu Kang stations, which I believe is either the Peirce (no idea if it is Upper or Lower) or Seletar reservoir, I looked out the window to take in the rather calming natural scenery. Everything looked as it should be. The water was there. A teenage angler with a rod was perched on the granite boulders. Light pink mosses were growing along the water's edge. A picture of normalcy in boring Singapore.
As the MRT chugged along, I happened to look at the shoreline of the reservoir. What caught my eye was this floating log, or which I thought was one. However, as the train moved closer to the 'log', since the tracks skirt the reservoir, I was able to make out a snout and 2 shapes on either side, which looked like eyes to me. It was then when I realised that I was staring at a buaya that is floating along the bank of the reservoir. It was an interesting sight despite past reports of sightings of these leathery creatures being reported in other reservoirs.
Photo: This is similar to what I saw this morning.
I was tempted to call up the police since the animal might become a danger, or nuisance, to the people who fish near the reservoir. In the end, I decided not to call the men in blue since it might not be their business to deal with buayas of the non-human type. For his sake, I hope the boy with the rod is sharp enough to notice that the log floating by is a buaya and not a piece of driftwood. Being the nasty old me, the only way to find out the well-being of the kid is to read tomorrow's papers. If there's no "Kid mauled by Yishun Buaya" headline in tomorrow's Straits Time, I assume the boy is safe and sound somewhere.
Here are some tips which I think I saw on National Geographic/Animal Planet on what to do when faced with a fearsome buaya:
1. RUN!!!
2. RUN!!!
3. RUN!!!
