KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife authorities shot dead a 2.4m-long crocodile that had become a cause for concern among residents in a village in Sabah’s Sandakan east coast district.
Residents, particularly fishermen, had reported the reptile’s presence at Kampung Sungai Daling to the Wildlife Department.
Sandakan Wildlife Department officer Hussein Muin said following the complaint, they set up a trap under the jetty at Sungai Daling on Monday, where the crocodile had often been sighted by villagers.
“The following day, a male crocodile measuring some 8ft (2.4m) in length was shot dead when it was trying to eat the bait in the trap,” he said on Wednesday.
Last month, wildlife authorities also shot dead four crocodiles in an operation after a man was attacked and killed by a crocodile at the Seguntor River, also in Sandakan.
This was among the spate of attacks in districts on the Sabah east coast over the years.
The rise in crocodile attacks on villagers living along the rivers in Kinabatangan, Beluran, Lahad Datu and Tawau has raised questions about balancing public safety against conservation of the reptiles.
Sabah Wildlife Department rangers have yet to find any takers for offers to issue crocodile hunting permits for people interested in crocodile farming, forcing Sabah Wildlife Department rangers to resort to shooting crocodiles in areas where they pose a danger to villagers.
State wildlife director Augustine Tuuga had said they were only shooting crocodiles near villages where people use the river daily.
“It would not have a big impact on the overall population of crocodiles in Sabah,” he said, in an interview last month.
Over the last two years, there has been an increase in human-crocodile conflicts, with some fatal cases.
As such, Tuuga said the department has launched an awareness campaign with riverine communities on the “dos and don’ts”. This includes giving talks and distributing pamphlets on precautions to be taken.
“It is not easy to assess how effective our campaign is. People have no choice but to use the river for daily life,” he said.
He urged villagers to be extra cautious during their activities near rivers.
