SANDAKAN – The recent tragic crocodile attack in Lahad Datu, where a Bajau Laut man had lost his 1-year-old son on December 1, has underscored the wildlife-human conflict in Sabah’s east coast area.
A conservationist said, however, that the rise in deaths and injuries caused by crocodile attacks in the region lately did not imply an increased population of the reptiles in the state, based on figures from a 20-year study.
Prof Benoit Goossens, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Special Survival Commission, told The Vibes that habitat loss and lack of prey were among the leading factors for the attacks and not necessarily a higher crocodile presence.
“We have lost a lot of bearded pigs following the African swine flu outbreak. Large crocodiles which attack humans are usually feeding on large prey such as pigs and deer,” he said.
Several deaths caused by crocodile attacks have been reported in Sabah’s East Coast this year, including:
July 31, 2022 – A 32-year-old woman died after a crocodile attack occurred while she was fishing in Kg Tg Bulat, Kinabatangan.
August 23, 2022 – A 35-year-old man who was fishing in Sg Pegagau, Semporna was killed in a crocodile encounter.
September 10, 2022 – A man in his 50s, Abdul, was crossing Sg Seguntor, Taman Kenari Mile 7 in Sandakan when he was attacked by a crocodile. Only his severed head was recovered from the scene.
Although the saltwater crocodile is a protected species in Sabah, Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said authorities are allowed to hunt and kill them in the event of attacks and deaths involving humans.
Tuuga said crocodiles that are captured would be handed to crocodile farms near the area.
“But it is easier said than done (for the department to shoot the crocodiles); some places are very remote and far, and difficult for the department personnel to monitor for a long duration,” he said.
He said this was why the department has issued hunting licenses to public applicants since 1997. However, only a handful of people have applied to date, he said.
Tuuga also agreed that the crocodile-human conflicts have increased not because of the increase in the crocodile population, but due to habitat loss brought by human encroachment and activities.
“For instance, crocodiles are rarely spotted in the area of the latest attack in Lahad Datu, but they may have swum around the area because the mangrove swamp near there has faced development,” he told The Vibes.
In response to the latest attack, Sabah’s Tourism, Culture, and Environment minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said that all crocodiles spotted near places with human activities will either be captured or shot dead.
He said Malaysian families of wildlife attack victims could apply for RM20,000 compensation from the federal Community Welfare Department.
On October 6 this year, the Wildlife Department shot and killed a 9ft crocodile near Taman Millennium, Mile 4, Sandakan.
However, Goossens says the culling of crocodiles is not the solution to the problem.
He said it would only give a false sense of safety to the people, as the dead crocodiles will swiftly be replaced by other crocodiles.
Goossens, who is also Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director, said the centre carried out a state-wide Sabah Wildlife Department for a Non-Detrimental Findings study in 2019 and 2020, which found that harvesting, or controlled hunting of the animals, would be detrimental to the population of crocodiles.
He said the only sustainable harvest of crocodiles would be in the Kinabatangan River, allowing a harvest of a maximum of five adults per year.
“I think we should come up with an action plan for the overall crocodile population in Sabah, with non-site specific actions and site-specific actions (for rivers).
“I also believe that people should avoid bathing and fishing in waters where crocodiles are known to roam,” he said, adding that the DGFC will assist the wildlife department with its future action plans. – The Vibes, December 6, 2022
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