LABUAN: An activist here questioned the logic behind a two-year project between the Sabah Wildlife Department and the Danau Girang Field Centre to find ways to minimise human-crocodile conflicts that have been on the increase statewide.
George Elias said what is more amusing is the view by a DGFC researcher that it is humans that should learn to coexist with these deadly creatures rather, rather than kill them.
“The whole exercise is a waste of funds if it is already in favour of not killing them to control their numbers,” he said, adding that the only interesting new development is talk of erecting safety barriers in high risk areas to ensure the safety of villagers.
“Even so, the questions that arises are just how safe are these Crocodile Exclusion Structures be, how much will they cost, who will pay for them and whether these structures have been tested elsewhere,” said George.
He said it is easy for these researches who stay safe in urban areas to advise villagers to co-exist with crocodiles.
He also disagreed with the proposal to stop killing crocodiles because even during the chartered company days, these predators were hunted and killed along the Kinabatangan River to control their numbers.
“The British did not tell the locals to co-exist with the crocodiles. They hunted them and the Wildlife Department should do the same as part of their responsibility to protect the people living along rivers inhabited by them.
“It is heart-breaking to always read that children and adults have been killed by these creatures while bathing along the riverbanks.
In the latest incident in Kinabatangan, a father could only watch when a crocodile snatched his son while they were catching prawns. The body was found with some parts missing.
“A win-win solution would be to sell the shot crocodiles for their meat and hide, which can be a top revenue earner.
“The hide of Borneo crocodiles from Sabah will be converted by fashion houses into handbags and other accessories for the elite,” he said.
Another way to keep the numbers in check is to patrol the rivers for sightings and the targeted removals of eggs along river banks.
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