Call to audit crocodile farms in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Crocodile conservationists want the Sabah Wildlife Department to carry out a full audit on crocodile farms in the state following the shocking seizure of 220 wild saltwater crocodiles smuggled in from Kalimantan.

“Investigators can ascertain if the population of crocodiles had ballooned in such farms from a full audit,” International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) crocodile specialist group member Dr Benoit Goossens said.The Danau Girang Field Centre-based Dr Goossens said the detection of the wildlife smuggling ring involving Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sabah was of very serious concern and needed to be investigated fully.