There were two crocodile attacks in the first year of the Japanese Occupation. My 7th aunt was already in Junior secondary school and was home for the holidays , probably about June 1942.
The flood was very high and it came up to the steps of the house and covered most of the area below the stilted house. The goats, ducks and chickens were all housed under the house. The goats had their own little huts and the ducks and chickens in the cages. Grandfather had built sturdy homes for these animals.
(Photo from mysarawak.wordpress.com)
The mother goat was expecting and would any time give birth.
Towards the evening when the flood had stopped rising, a crocodile swam under the house and took the mother goat who was resting on the ledge, quite high above the flood water. the crocodile must have taken a good swipe at the poor Nanny Goat to take her away. She was bleating very loudly and then there was silence. Great grandmother was unconsolable. The kits would have been protein for great grandfather and grandfather and the young children for almost a whole year!
Not long after the first croc attack, Aunty and wife of Tiong Kung Lien ( cousin of grandfather who was working as a mechanic) was happily and enjoying drying clothes by the platform when a crocodile swam near her and tried to snap her two outstretched hands. She was luckily very agile. She was quite injured but she saved herself.
This incident was considered a miracle because she was able to jump away and save her own life! for months every one was afraid to walk to the jetty when the tide was high.\
However it was also interesting that my father and his siblings would continue to look for snails and fish along the river bank without thinking about crocodiles when the tide was low. Probably the great need for food helped them to forget about crocodiles.
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