KOTA KINABALU: The spate of crocodile attacks of late appears to have weighed down on the Sabah Wildlife Department, which has a mere four-man team to deal with such cases.
“It is difficult to attend to cases as quickly as we want to. We get reports of crocodile sightings from areas such as Banggi, Kudat, Pitas, Kinarut, Kawang and Kuala Penyu, just to name a few,” said department director Augustine Tuuga.
Some of these places are in far-flung locations, “yet, there is only one designated team of four people that we can mobilise.
“But we will still try our best. We will continue with what is being done in the department, which is to respond when there are cases,” he said.
Tuuga said the limited manpower also meant that they could not patrol rivers or swamps frequently to prevent such attacks.
Since early this month, there has been a number of reports on crocodile sightings and attacks in Sabah.
The latest crocodile attack was reported in Banggi Island of Kudat on Monday when an elderly woman was seriously injured after the reptile mauled her.
She managed to escape with the help of villagers.
In the past two months, there were a few deaths which were suspected crocodile attacks.
Tuuga advised the public to be alert and cautious, saying the current practice of culling only the attacking crocodiles is the most feasible and sustainable method.
There are no new measures that can be taken to address the rampant sightings in Sabah, he said.
On Tuesday, Warisan Youth chief Terence Au urged the authorities to take immediate and decisive action on the increasing crocodile menace in Sabah.
These predators are a danger to villagers, especially those who rely on rivers for fishing and as a mode of transport, he said.
