‘These crocodiles are becoming bolder and entering urban areas, possibly due to population growth and other factors.’
– Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
IN the tourism world, Sarawak is well known as the “Land of the Hornbills”. Hornbills, you see, are important cultural symbols for the Dayak people and represent the spirit of God. The rhinoceros hornbill is also the state bird of Sarawak.
In the longhouses during festivals, the Orang Ulus dance with hornbill feathers while in the Sarawak Cultural Village or cultural shows overseas, beautiful female dancers follow the patterns of the hornbills.
However, I personally fear that if nothing is done to stop the crocodile attacks on human beings in the state, Sarawak may soon be known as the “Land of the Killer Crocodiles.”
This is because bad news tends to attract more public attention. Bad news also travels faster.
In 2021, there were nine fatal crocodile attacks in Sarawak while last year, six fatal crocodile attacks were recorded.
Recently, there has been another crocodile attack in Sarawak.
Last Wednesday morning, a 76-year-old woman, Minu Khien, was feared to have been devoured by a crocodile while hunting for clams at Sungai Kampung Rayu in Lundu.
Minu had gone to the river with her 54-year-old daughter and the daughter had rushed to her aid after hearing her screams for help.
After she found her mother missing, the daughter quickly rushed home to Kampung Belian to inform other family members of the incident.
The family members later found traces of blood about 500 metres from the Kampung Sungai Rayu bridge and the victim’s clothing some 200 metres downstream.
They believed the elderly woman had been attacked and dragged into the river by a crocodile because the reptiles had been sighted there.
At the time of writing, Minu’s body has not been found yet and there is an ongoing search to locate her.
Involved in the search are police personnel, firefighters from the Petra Jaya station, the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) Safety Water and Rescue Team (SWART) and the villagers. The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has also been informed of the incident.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister and Santubong MP, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, has urged the state government to tackle the increasing crocodile population which has led to crocodile attacks and sightings in non-habitat areas.
She made the call after visiting the Search and Rescue (SAR) operation team at Kampung Sungai Rayu on Friday.
According to her, crocodiles are now found in urban areas such as the Kuching Waterfront and residential drainage systems. She hoped the government could find the best way to tackle the issue.
“These crocodiles are becoming bolder and entering urban areas, possibly due to population growth and other factors,” she said.
Following increased reports of crocodile sightings from most of the villages on the Sarawak River, SFC recently embarked on a mission to remove any crocodiles sighted in the Crocodile Exclusion Zone of the river.
Six enforcement officers from SFC’s Kuching regional office were involved in “Operation Crocodile” from March 14 to March 27 this year; their main task was to set traps.
By March 20, no crocodile had been detected or trapped. SFC, however, assured that the operation would be held regularly.
The common crocodilian species in Sarawak is Crocodylus porosus, also known as saltwater crocodile.
C. porosus is currently placed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Sarawak and trade is allowed with permits from the authority.
At the end of last year, SFC said the crocodile population in the state was estimated to be 24,700 compared to about 13,500 in 2014. One of the reasons for the increase in the crocodile population is due to their protected status under the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998.
In an interview with a local daily in Dec last year, SFC wildlife officer Dr. Mohd Izwan Zulaini Abdul Ghani revealed that the corporation had been assigned the responsibility of issuing licences to local hunters to regulate and control the crocodile population in specific locations because of the exponential growth in the crocodile population.
However, although the licence is open to anyone who meets the criteria, there has been a decline in the applications for the licences.
Mohd Izwan advised villagers not to throw their rubbish into the rivers. He said surveys conducted showed most crocodiles would prey near jetties or river mouths waiting for the rubbish thrown by the villagers for an easy meal.
Letting livestock roam along the riverbanks could also encourage the reptiles to be in the areas.
He added that SFC was shocked by reports of villagers feeding the crocodiles in the rivers. He urged these villagers to stop doing so immediately.
The wildlife officer said SFC had fixed 213 signboards in strategic areas throughout the state to warn the public of crocodile-infested waters or rivers.
The signboards serve as clear warnings of an increased risk of a crocodile attack and the public should steer clear of these areas.
Along the Batang Samarahan, tired of the increasing number of crocodile attacks on villagers who depended on the river for their livelihood, a group of brave men established the Samarahan Crocodile Hunters (SCH) in January 2029 to tackle the problem.
Muara Tuang assemblyman Datuk Idris Buang is the SCH advisor. The team of eight permanent members comes under the purview of the Muara Tuang service centre. Whenever there are sightings of crocodiles, the men will help the local community by hunting and catching the crocodiles.
On an on-call basis, the team conducts seven to eight operations a year with each operation lasting about a week. All the SCH’s operations are under the purview of the custodian of wildlife and national parks, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC). The team works together with SFC and other local authorities such as the police and Fire and Rescue Department (BOMBA).
Since its inception, the team has successfully caught many crocodiles ranging from 16 to 17 feet and prevented many fatal crocodile attacks.
The SCH has found a good way of tackling the crocodile problem in Batang Samarahan, thanks to the generous support of Idris and his service centre.
It is hoped that the state government and other assemblymen/assemblywomen will also help villagers in other places tackle their crocodile problem as soon as possible before more innocent lives are lost.
