Kind Copper Crocodile

 Folk Tales from Maluku

Once upon a time, in ancient times, there lived a copper crocodile in Baguala Bay, Maluku. Unlike the others, the Copper Crocodile is known to be kind, friendly and helpful. Every day, he greets the animals who meet him.

“Hi, Turtle, how are you this morning? Your face looks sad. What's wrong with you?" he asked worriedly.

“Oh, hi! Yes, I'm not very good. My feet are wrapped in the rope, I can't get it off. It feels very painful," said the turtle sadly.

"Is it true? Let me see your feet," asked Crocodile.

Quickly, the crocodile released the rope wrapped around the turtle's leg. Even though it was difficult, he never stopped until the rope was released. After succeeding, the turtle looked so relieved and happy.

“Thank you very much for helping me. This rope has been wrapped around my leg for a long time, but I can't get it off," he said, moved.

“Ah, no need to hesitate. I will try to help anyone who needs help. If you have any difficulties, tell me," said the sharp-toothed beast.

Copper Crocodile feels happy if he can help animals who are experiencing difficulties. However, he often feels lonely because there are not many fish or animals living in Baguala Bay.

“Hmm, this bay feels very quiet. I feel like I want to meet and be friends with lots of animals," said the crocodile, feeling lonely.

Because Baguala Bay is not that big, not many animals live there. However, the Copper Crocodile liked the bay, so he stayed even though he sometimes felt lonely.

Anxiety of Fish in the Buru Sea

On the other hand, the inhabitants of the southern Buru Sea are feeling restless. The reason is, there is a large snake that often eats fish in the Buru sea.

The snake was perched on a stargor tree on the edge of the sea which jutted out into the sea water. So he can easily eat fish that are swimming.

The longer it takes, the more fish the long-bodied animal eats. In fact, even small fish cannot be separated from their target. This makes the fish anxious and afraid.

One day, a small fish swam by in a hurry. His face was scared and looked anxious. He then reported to his friends, “Friends... The snake is getting more and more outrageous! This place is getting increasingly unsafe. What should we do?"

“Calm down. Try telling me slowly what just happened," said the Papere fish, trying to calm the little fish.

"I saw the snake eating small fish. Luckily I was able to escape. But he ate a lot of my friends," he said while crying.

All the fish were shocked. "Gosh, that snake looks even worse!" said Papere fish annoyed.

"If even the small ones are eaten, how can we live in peace?" said the confused fish.

"We might all be eaten by the snake," said another fish.

"We must immediately find a way to expel the snake from the stargor tree," said the yellow-tailed Salmaneti fish.

"So true! We have to think of a way to get rid of him," answered the Papere fish.

"But how? I don't have the courage to chase him away straight away," said the little fish.

Asking Copper Crocodile for Help

The fish began to discuss the right way to get rid of the annoying snake. Each of them expressed their opinion, but could not find a consensus.

Suddenly, the big fish remembered something. “Friends, I remember that there was a big crocodile in Baguala Bay. The color is copper. Even though its body is big and looks scary, it is actually a very friendly and kind animal," he concluded.

“In fact, he protects and looks after the animals that live in Baguala Bay. How about we ask him for help? His body is big, surely the snake wouldn't dare to fight him."

All residents of the Buru Sea agree with this solution. Then, some fish will go to Baguala Bay to meet the Copper Crocodile. When they got there, they had no difficulty finding the Copper Crocodile, because all the residents knew him.

When the fish came, the Copper Crocodile greeted them, "O fish, what made you come all the way here to look for me? Is there anything I can help you with?”

“That's right, Crocodile! "We came from Buru Island because we really need your help," said Papere.

Then, they said that their residence, which was initially comfortable and peaceful, was disturbed by the presence of a snake perched in a tree. The fish didn't have the courage to fight.

“Hmm, so that's the story. Okay, I will help you fight the snake. I will deter him," said the Copper Crocodile with great courage.

The fish looked very happy. “Thank you Crocodile because you want to help us. We know you are a brave and kind animal," said one of the fish.

"Please pray for me to be successful in driving him away, okay?" answered the Crocodile.

Copper Crocodile and Snake Fight

Arriving at the Buru Sea, the Copper Crocodile received a welcome from the inhabitants of the sea. He was greeted with ceremonies and prayers. They prayed that the helper could drive away the snake.

Then, the Copper Crocodile started to approach the big snake. He wandered around the seashore and spied a stargor tree. When the snake was careless, the Copper Crocodile swiftly jumped and bit him.

Snake doesn't want to lose. He then pecked the crocodile's head. Luckily, the fish rescuer was able to avoid it. The fierce battle lasted for three days. The fish pray. They were worried that the snake would hurt the Copper Crocodile.

With its remaining strength, the Copper Crocodile flicked its sharp tail at the big snake. He then said, “Don't go around preying on other creatures! Get out of here!”

The crocodile's tail flicked right at the snake's head. He felt pain and lay weak and helpless. With the remaining strength he had, the snake ran away and left the shores of the Buru Sea.

From a distance, the fish cheered happily. They are very grateful because they can finally live in peace. “Thank you, Crocodile. Because of you, we can now live in peace."

“You're welcome. I'm happy to be able to help you. There's no need to hesitate if you need my help again in the future," said the crocodile.

As a sign of gratitude, the fish gave the crocodile a large barrel. Then, the Copper Crocodile took the barrel to Baguala Bay. After he opened it, it turned out that the barrel contained a lot of fish. Because of this, Baguala Bay is now busy with fish. Copper Crocodile is no longer lonely.

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The moral of this story is don't judge someone from the outside. The Copper Crocodile may look scary, but he is actually kind, friendly and helpful. Next, if you want to be liked by people, be a friendly and kind person like the Copper Crocodile. Because of his kind heart and kindness, he earned the love of the people around him.

The folklore of the Copper Crocodile is quite popular in Maluku. Many Ambonese residents believe that the Copper Crocodile really used to live in Baguala Bay.

It is said that the Copper Crocodile died because he was very old. His body then hardened and became dirt. If you stand on the edge of the hill near Natsepa Beach, you will see the crocodile-shaped land.