S’wak deputy premier leads delegation to study croc management in Australia

Abang Johari (4th left) hits the gong while Len Talif (3rd left) and others look on during the opening ceremony of the 10th World Congress of Herpetology (WCH10) held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Aug 5, 2024.

By Shikin Louis & Chris Bishop

KUCHING, Aug 5: Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan is leading a delegation to study crocodile management in Australia.

Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said the team will be flying to the foreign country this evening.

“Sarawak rivers are now full of crocodiles. We want to study the ecosystem and how the Australians manage crocodiles,” he said when officiating the 10th World Congress of Herpetology (WCH10) held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today.

Speaking to reporters after the event, Abang Johari explained that the delegation, which includes Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration, and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh, aims to gain insight into how Australia manages the crocodile population when the animal is declared as a diminishing species under the United Nations.

“We will study how they manage the crocodiles and when the right period to cull is, and what to do with the crocodiles so that they don’t go against the United Nations.

“In the northern territory of Australia, the crocodiles and buffalos can co-exist. They have the same habitat, but they don’t kill each other.

“Thus, we will also look into the possibility of not having the crocodiles to kill humans in Sarawak,” he added.

Also present were Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Board of Directors chairman Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Sulong Matjeraie, UNIMAS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ahmad Hatta Rasit, WCH10 Congress director Prof Dr Indraneil Das, WCH10 secretary-general Dr Judit Vörös, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) chief executive officer Abang Arabi Abang Aimran, and Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) chief executive officer Amelia Roziman.

On Nov 21, 2023, Len Talif said that the crocodile population in Sarawak has nearly doubled up to about 25,000 over nine years.

He also said crocodile-human conflict cases in Sarawak stood at an average of six humans per year.

As the public grows angry over the rising crocodile population, Abang Johari clarified on Jan 14 that the animal is protected under United Nations law, which prohibits the act of hunting or culling crocodiles.

However, Sarawak was moved from Schedule One to Schedule Two of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2016.

Following this, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) introduced a Crocodile Management Plan in 2016, which allows the (limited) issuance of permits for hunting and culling crocodiles and ventures into the crocodile skin and meat industry. — DayakDaily