Human-Crocodile Conflicts in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo: An analysis of crocodile attacks from 2000 until 2020
Crocodiles have caused a relatively high number of fatalities towards local people in Sarawak, a Malaysian state in Borneo. However, they have important cultural values and are well respected by the riverine communities in the state. The objective of this study is to determine the patterns of h...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2022
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/37855/1/Human-Crocodile%20Conflicts%20in%20Sarawak.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/37855/ https://npublications.com/journals/bio/2022/a502010-025(2022).pdf. |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Crocodiles have caused a relatively high
number of fatalities towards local people in Sarawak, a
Malaysian state in Borneo. However, they have important
cultural values and are well respected by the riverine
communities in the state. The objective of this study is to
determine the patterns of human-crocodile conflict in
Sarawak which could help in managing the problems
between crocodile and human. Information on crocodile
attacks were collected from multiple sources including
records kept by local authority, media or CrocBITE
database. Over a 21 years period (year 2000-2020), the
record attacks (n=164) showed a balance between fatal and
non-fatal cases. Most common victims in Sarawak were
male (86.6%) and adults from the age of 31 to 40 years old
(20.7%). The attacks occurred more during the daylight
(59.4%), with the peak time for crocodile attacks was
approximately between 1800 to 2359 hours (33.3%).
Crocodile attacks occur slightly more during the wet
season, from October to March (54.0%), with the highest
one recorded in March (16.8%). Fishing (26.2%) and
bathing (22.0%) in the rivers possess the highest risk of
crocodile attack, suggesting that crocodiles are more likely
to attack when the victim is in the water. The findings
imply that crocodiles' attack pattern in Sarawak is
associated with the people’s activities pattern. There is a
need to update the database on crocodile attacks in
Sarawak on -real time basis as this will facilitate the
relevant agencies in formulating the strategies to reduce
the number of crocodile attacks and ensuring the safety of
the riverine communities. |
|---|