KUCHING: Sarawak has implemented crocodile-free zones (CFZs) in rivers with high human usage in an effort to minimise human-crocodile conflict, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) managing director/chief executive officer Datuk Ali Yusop said today.
Ali, who is also the Controller of Wildlife, said the SFC’s Swift Wildlife Action Team (SWAT) would catch and relocate crocodiles found in the CFZs, among which are the Kuching Waterfront and the Miri Waterfront.
The CFZs have been identified under the Crocodile Strategic Management Plan, and the SFC was working closely with the Sarawak Forest Department, Sarawak River Board and other relevant agencies to formulate a win-win formula to manage crocodiles.
“The crocodile population in the state is recovering and the presence of crocodiles in a river indicates that that river and its eco-system are healthy,” he said following the capture of a six-foot (1.8-metre) crocodile in the Sarawak River at Bintawa here. The reptile was sent to the Matang Wildlife Centre near here.
Ali said the function of crocodiles in the eco-system as scavengers and top predators was well accepted as they helped to maintain the health of the eco-system and kept the population of other animals in check. – Bernama