Conservationists in Indonesia are desperately searching for ways to save the life of a saltwater crocodile that is being slowly strangled by a rubber tyre around its neck.

The reptile got its body jammed into the tyre almost four years ago and since then has often been seen in the river that runs through the city of Palu, on the island of Sulawesi. All attempts to capture and free it have failed.

The animal has now grown to 13 feet long and the tyre is interfering with its ability to breathe. A recent film showed it apparently gasping for air.

“In the past year we saw that there’s still enough room for the crocodile’s neck to move around,” said the local government conservation agency. “But we are not going to wait until the tyre strangles the animal. We will rescue it.”

A crocodile trap failed to snare the creature. Tranquilliser darts have been ruled out because of the danger that the animal would swim away before the drug took effect, causing it to fall unconscious in the water and drown.

An Indonesian animal handler known as Panji the Adventurer tried and failed.

“We could attract it using meat as bait,” he said. “But... we are afraid that we will injure the crocodile’s mouth if we use a hook.”

The presence of other crocodiles makes any attempt to capture it with a rope very dangerous. “We don’t want to end up in a situation where people have to save me instead,” Panji added.

Last week Hasmuni Hasmar, head of the Central Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency, offered an unspecified amount of cash to any wildlife expert who could solve the problem. No one responded and the contest has been abandoned.