KOTA KINABALU: Four crocodiles were shot dead as wildlife rangers stepped up the hunt for a killer crocodile in Sandakan’s Seguntor river where a man was killed.
Sandakan Wildlife Department officer Hussein Muin confirmed that the reptiles were killed during an operation on Tuesday night in the area where a man in his 50s was attacked while crossing the Seguntor river on a raft.
It could not be immediately ascertained if the crocodiles killed were linked to the attack on the man whose head was found on Monday. Villagers had reported him missing last Friday.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga spoke about setting up traps and the need to minimise risks to people living in the settlements close to the affected area.
“We try to eliminate threats to river users where we can and only in areas where there need to be,” he said on the latest move to shoot crocodiles at the Seguntor area.
Meanwhile, conservationist Dr Benoit Goossens said that based on studies carried out by the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) between 2017-2020, there was no indication that there was an increase in the crocodile population along Sabah rivers.
Goossens, who is DGFC director, said that increased attacks on humans were due to the loss of natural habitat as well as dwindling food sources, especially large prey like bearded pigs.
“There has been a (substantial) drop in the number of wild bearded pigs following the African Swine Fever outbreak,” he said.
He also explained that crocodiles targeted such pigs for their source of food.
On the DGFC state-wide survey for Sabah Wildlife Department for a Non-Detrimental Findings study on crocodiles, he said the results suggested that in the last 20 years there had been no substantial evidence of an increase in the overall population of crocodiles in Sabah.
“It (the increase in crocodile population) is unlikely to be the determining factor in any increased reports of human-crocodile conflict,” he added.
He suggested that the people should avoid bathing in the rivers where crocodiles are present, and cautioned against fishing or standing on the riverbanks for long hours.
