Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg speaking to reporters after opening the 10th World Congress of Herpetology in Kuching on Monday (Aug 5). - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: Sarawak plans to learn how to manage its crocodile population better from Australia, says its Premier, Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg.
He said a delegation led by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan was going to Australia to study its crocodile management.
"Sarawak rivers are now full of crocodiles. We want to study the ecosystem and how the Australians manage crocodiles," he said when opening the 10th World Congress of Herpetology here on Monday (Aug 5).
Abang Johari later told reporters that the delegation was leaving for Australia on Monday evening for a four-day working visit.
"Crocodiles are a diminishing species under the United Nations, so we must conserve them.
"We want to study how Australia manages their crocodiles, including when and how to cull them so that they don't go against the United Nations," he said.
He added that Sarawak also wanted to learn how humans can coexist with crocodiles.
Last year, state Deputy Natural Resources and Urban Development Minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh said Sarawak's crocodile population was estimated to have nearly doubled from 13,500 in 2014 to almost 25,000 in 2023.
He said the state planned to create crocodile-free zones and crocodile sanctuaries to manage the reptiles and reduce conflict with humans.
