According to the Associated Press (AP), a motorcycle tire that had been lodged around the neck of a wild crocodile for at least six years has been successfully removed.

After weeks of trying and previous failed attempts, Tili, a 35-year-old bird watcher, managed to free the 14.8-foot saltwater crocodile from the tire.

The residents of Palu, a city on the Iɴᴅᴏɴᴇsɪᴀn island of Sulᴀᴡᴇsi, had become accustomed to the female crocodile. The massive reptile even attracted global attention, inspiring “Outback Wrangler” star Matthew Wright to make a failed attempt to free it.

Tili, who had just moved to Palu, learned from his neighbors about the famous crocodile with tires in early January. He said he was committed to saving it.

Tili set a trap along a river with ropes and used chickens, ducks and other birds as bait. Three weeks later, the crocodile emerged from the trap and Tili and two friends mounted the tire.

The crocodile was finally located after six years since it was first discovered with a tire around its neck. The animal was helped returned to the wild by hunters and a wildlife conservation organization.

The question of how the crocodile became trapped in the tire is still unresolved. According to conservationists, it could have been рᴜгроѕefᴜɩɩу attached to the animal in a failed attempt to capture it as a pet or for its fur. Another possibility is that the crocodile got into the tire while swimming in trash-filled water.