Crocs don’t target humans

That they are dangerous is clear, but like many things in nature, crocodiles do not set out to hunt humans. Crocodiles are opportunistic predators and will grab any animal that moves.
However not all species attack humans. Many are wary of people and may only bite if they are disturbed or taken by surprise. Crocodile attacks can be prevented if people are made aware of the specific risks that face them. Most often, crocs are killed in an attempt to find remains of missing children or adults in their stomachs. At the same time, crocodiles that attack humans are also in need of protection. They are at risk precisely because they are dangerous.
Crocodiles and humans may never coexist in peace, but knowing and understanding how to avoid becoming a croc’s dinner is an important first step. The problem can be reduced or possibly even eliminated, by instilling common-sense attitudes.
It is very, very difficult to protect people who swim in crocodile-infested waters. Removing a croc from its domain does not make an area completely safe, merely safer than it was, and there is no way of knowing when another crocodile will move in to take its place.
Crocodiles are one of the few remaining links to the prehistoric past. As predator and prey, they play a valuable role in the health of many aquatic environments. They are found both in rivers, lakes and also near coastal areas and in waterways such as rivers or swamps. Being an important part of the food chain, crocs help to keep wetland environments healthy and stable, thus protecting them is vitally important.
The biggest threat to crocodile survival is habitat destruction. Increasingly humans are crowding in on crocodile territory with developments in swamps, mangroves, and rivers, displacing them from their homes. Their swamps have been drained to create more cultivated land, while the rivers they live in have been damaged by pollution, overfishing, and development. It remains to be seen how many can endure in a world where they have been squeezed out of their former ranges by agricultural and urban growth.
There are Codes of Practice on taking, handling and transporting crocodiles. The Queensland Government’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection states that the limbs should be restrained temporarily to prevent struggling and tied loosely so as not to restrict blood circulation. When the limbs are restrained longer than two hours this procedure invariably causes swelling in the feet resulting in severe tissue damage or loss of limbs. Crocodiles dissipate heat by evaporation from the mucous membrane of the mouth. A struggling croc with its mouth lashed shut may rapidly overheat. It should be monitored and cooled if necessary. Handlers and response teams should know this information
Friends of the Earth’s hope is that these reptiles, which have survived from the age of the dinosaurs, are able to survive their modern predator – man.
SM Mohd Idris
President of Friends of the Earth Malaysia
The Star/ANN