Reptile handlers successfully captured a massive crocodile trapped in a drain in Indonesia.

Shocked residents found the beast stuck in a water channel in Bontang City, East Kalimantan, on Thursday evening, February 13.

Sarkani, Head of the Operational Control Division of the Fire Rescue Unit, said officers responded quickly after receiving reports from worried locals.

Footage shows the croc trapped in the narrow canal as authorities prepare to rescue it.

Five crews, along with a team of medical personnel, were dispatched to carry out the operation.

He added: 'The officers carried out the evacuation carefully, using safe equipment.'

The rescue took about 40 minutes, and the animal was successfully secured before being returned to its natural habitat.

Earlier, on February 2, fishermen captured a 14ft crocodile in Tondasi Village, North Tiworo District, West Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi.

Residents had reported that the dangerous creature had been stalking their livestock for several days, creating fear and disturbance in the area.

Local media reported that the crocodile had attacked four villagers, two of whom survived without serious injuries.

The creature was handed over to the Kendari Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA).

The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 types of crocs - with a large population of extremely large and violent estuarine crocodiles that flourish in the region's climate.

Conservationists believe that crocodiles have been driven further inland closer to villages due to overfishing reducing the crocodiles' natural food supplies combined with habitat loss from the development of coastal areas into farms.

Widespread tin mining has also caused villagers to encroach on the crocodiles' natural habitats, pushing the creatures closer towards people's homes.

With uneducated locals in the developing country still using rivers for bathing and primitive fishing, the deadly combination of factors has led to rising numbers of crocodile attacks.