To cull or not to cull: Sabah’s crocodile poser

KOTA KINABALU: Is culling crocodiles the only solution left for Sabah amid higher number sightings and attacks, the public was asked in a recent poll

The state Wildlife Department said that they had no other options as farms are no longer taking them in as they were full, while translocation of the reptiles invites resistance from locals as they see them as a threat.

Public emotions have run high especially after the Wildlife Department decided to shoot dead at least four crocodiles in recent weeks despite being captured after their presence in villages were reported.

Conservation group 1StopBorneo Wildlife in a poll asked the question “should crocodiles be killed/culled/shot in Sabah?”

Nearly 60% of some 250 respondents replying to two separate polls (one in English and another in Bahasa Malaysia) said the crocodiles should be killed.

However, 29% of respondents to the English poll and 76% for the Bahasa Malaysia poll agreed that the reptiles should be killed if they attacked humans.

1StopBorneo Wildlife founder Shavez Cheema said the polls were clear that most wildlife enthusiasts were of the view that shooting the reptiles that attacked humans was alright, but not merely due to their presence in an area.

“If it is involved in an attack against people, then the option to kill is understandable,” he said.

Shavez said that a proper standard operating procedure should be put in place in deciding to put down a captured crocodile or those posing a threat in areas close to human settlements.

“A proper SOP is needed, We can’t have every poor crocodile being shot and vilified just because it is seen in an area,” he said.

“We don’t have many crocodile experts but I believe government agencies from wildlife, police, firemen together with professionals as well NGOs should sit down and come with an SOP that is fair and transparent,” he added.

Shavez personally felt that it was best to leave the crocodiles within their natural habitat and only to cull if they attacked humans though it would still be better for it to be moved away.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga had previously said the decision they made to cull the crocodiles was in the larger interest of public safety.

Tuuga said since 2000, a total of 65 people were killed and 31 injured in crocodile attacks across Sabah and in 2023, nine people were killed, four mauled in attacks in Tawau, Lahad Datu and Kinabatangan.

Crocodiles were a protected species in the state.