Story By: Alex Cope, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

This bread made in the shape of the crocodile with a tyre around its neck which an Australian expert tried in vain to rescue has become a huge hit.

The bread was made by baker Abraham, 58, who is based in the city of Palu in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi where the poor crocodile stuck in the tyre is often spotted in the Palu River.

The baker says he initially made two 60-centimetre (24-inch) loaves in the shape of the crocodile with a black tyre around its neck.

He used one of the loaves for display at his Master Bakery shop and ate the other with his friends. He says orders then started pouring in from customers wanting their own reptilian loaf, adding that he and his staff have “been working overtime” to meet demand.

He now offers a range of sizes for the loaves which range from 7,000 IDR (0.39 GBP) to 80,000 IDR (4.40 GBP) each.

Local media report the indigenous Betawi people are known to make sweetened bread in the shape of crocodiles which they often serve at weddings.

Abraham says she plans to make a life-size four-metre (13-foot) loaf of the crocodile which was first spotted caught in the tyre in 2016.

Australian TV celeb Matt Wright, star of the TV show Monster Croc Wrangler which is broadcast on the National Geographic channel, agreed to try and catch the poor crocodile after local officials tried to get help for the huge reptile – and nobody came forward.

But after a week of trying in vain to capture the crocodile, the presenter threw in the towel, explaining that he only had a one-week work permit.

He said: “Give the croc a rest. We’ll be back soon to continue operations.”

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