First satellite tag on four-metre crocodile

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SANDAKAN: The Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) have successfully fitted a satellite tag on a four-metre long saltwater crocodile in Kinabatangan, the longest river in Sabah known for its abundant concentration of wildlife.

SWD director Dr Laurentius Ambu disclosed yesterday that this was the first time in Borneo, and possibly in South-East Asia, that a saltwater crocodile had been tagged with a satellite device.

“It is the start of a long-term research and conservation programme initiated by our department and the Danau Girang Field Centre,”he said in a statement.

Dr Benoit Goossens, director of DGFC and leader of the Kinabatangan Crocodile Programme, meanwhile said following the Human-Crocodile Conflict Conference held recently in Kota Kinabalu, the SWD expressed a desire to carry out scientific work on the primary cause of the rising levels of conflict being experienced in Sabah’s large rivers.

He said the opening of forested land for plantation development had caused a considerable decrease in the overall amount of prey available, especially to large individuals.

“This situation makes for a far more dangerous environment. The realisation of this is that attack rates found near plantations are extremely high compared to those of forested areas,” Goossens added.

He said tagging large crocodiles in plantation areas and in forested areas, and especially males which are potential man-heaters, would allow them to better understand and monitor the movements of these large predators.

“We hope the results will help us provide guidelines for plantations workers and local villagers in order to reduce fatal attacks and contribute to the protection of this very important species for ecosystem health and tourism,” concluded Goossens.

The tagging of this four-metre male crocodile that was called Girang was carried out in the vicinity of Danau Girang Field Centre with the assistance of the Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit.