Human-crocodile conflict and conservation implications of Saltwater Crocodiles Crocodylus porosus (Reptilia: Crocodylia: Crocodylidae) in Sri Lanka

Amarasinghe, A.A. Thasun; Madawala, Majintha; Karunarathna, Suranjan; Manolis, S. Charlie; Silva, Anslem de; Sommerlad, Ralf

doi:10.11609/jott.o4159.7111-30

Cited by 35 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…Oreochromis mossambicus , O. niloticus , Etroplus suratensis , Channa striata , Lates sp.) there is perceived competition for the same food source (Amarasinghe et al, 2015). Creeks or small rivers in the Sundarban are more perilous than large rivers, as crocodiles prefer muddy riverbanks during low tide for thermoregulation, and these habitats are not always available in large rivers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Habitat loss and degradation are the key factors affecting the natural habitat of the saltwater crocodile (Amarasinghe et al, 2015) in the Sundarban. Habitat restoration, including the reintroduction of mangroves on government-owned lands, and restricting the issuing of new permits for forest users are part of a Forest Department strategy for short- and long-term projects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is a frequent phenomenon in September and October in Patharpratima block. This is the time when crocodiles are reported to start nesting (Amarasinghe et al, 2015). The Forest Department has started to translocate crocodiles from areas of conflict, and 12 individuals were translocated during the study period (Vyas, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human–crocodile conflict in the Indian Sundarban: an analysis of spatio-temporal incidences in relation to people's livelihood

Das¹,

Jana

2017

Oryx

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The incidence of human–crocodile conflict is increasing, and fear of injury and loss of life is affecting public and political support for crocodile conservation. We studied conflicts between people and estuarine crocodiles Crocodylus porosus across socio-economic dimensions, using a spatio-temporal database. We collected data on 127 crocodile attacks that occurred during 2000–2013, through questionnaires including open- and close-ended questions, administered in 30 villages of five blocks of the Indian Sundarban. Most of the attacks (42%) occurred during winter (December–February), followed by the early monsoon (May–July; 27%). Almost 80% of victims were prawn seed collectors and were 11–50 years old, and 61.16% of victims died as a result of the attacks. Female victims accounted for a higher percentage of deaths (55.12%) than male victims (44.88%). Crocodile attacks were more common in the daytime than at night, with 76.35% of the killings occurring during 08.00–17.00. Most of the cases were recorded from Gosaba (34%), followed by Patharpratima (25.24%) and Namkhana (18.45%) blocks. The mean number of incidents per year was 9.07, with vulnerability and mortality rates of 0.07 and 0.04, respectively, per 10,000 persons. Existing management practices are insufficient to eliminate the risk of crocodile attacks and ensure the conservation of the Sundarban ecosystem. A comprehensive management plan for reducing dependency on forest resources is needed to minimize human–crocodile conflict.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Human–crocodile conflict in the Indian Sundarban: an analysis of spatio-temporal incidences in relation to people's livelihood

Das¹,

Jana

2017

Oryx

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“…Human‐crocodile conflict is on the increase globally (Pooley ), and we suspect the approach we took has application to other developing countries, especially those in which saltwater crocodile recovery is causing increased HCC: Indonesia (CrocBITE ), Papua New Guinea (Solmu ), Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Palau (Manolis and Webb ), India (Das and Jana ), and Sri Lanka (Amarasinghe et al ). The significance of HCC fatalities when reported in isolation may be difficult to appreciate, but HCC fatalities in Timor‐Leste equal 14.3% of road fatalities and exceed losses to both malaria and dengue fever; these are significant yardsticks for mortality risk in the tropics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When conservation becomes dangerous: Human‐Crocodile conflict in Timor‐Leste

Brackhane

Webb

Xavier³

et al. 2018

J Wildl Manag

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In northern Australia and nearby Timor‐Leste, saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) populations were seriously depleted historically but recovered rapidly after protection: 1969–1974 in northern Australia, and 2000–2005 in Timor‐Leste. In both places, recovery caused increased rates of human‐crocodile conflict (HCC). Within northern Australia, the crocodile recovery and HCC have been documented over time. In contrast, this has not been the situation in Timor‐Leste, where we investigated HCC based on 130 attack records (1996–2014; 52% fatal). In 1996–2006, 0.55 attacks/year were reported in Timor‐Leste. By 2007–2014, 9 years later, a 23‐fold increase had occurred (13 attacks/year). Traditional subsistence fishing (82.5% of all attack records) is the highest risk activity, followed by bathing (7.5%) and water collecting (4.2%). Although the human population was correlated with crocodile attacks in Timor‐Leste, it likely does not explain the dramatic increase in crocodile attacks. Alternatively, crocodile numbers may have increased, either in the remnant resident crocodile population, or via migrants from elsewhere. Permanent crocodile habitat is limited, and limited breeding does not explain the high number of large crocodiles, and consequent increase in attacks in such a short time. A plausible explanation, consistent with traditional knowledge in Timor‐Leste, is that the influx of large crocodiles attacking people are migrants from Australia. We examined this possibility from available sources. Within Australia crocodiles have recovered since protection and they regularly invade adjacent habitats, such as Darwin harbor, where they are removed to prevent attacks on people. Saltwater crocodiles have been sighted at oil rigs, in the open ocean, moving between northern Australia and the south coast of Timor‐Leste. The likelihood of crocodiles migrating from Australia to Timor‐Leste raises obvious conservation, moral, and ethical dilemmas when conserving a large dangerous predator in one country to increase abundance results in dispersal to another country, where the predator attacks and kills people. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

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“…5) and dead in fishing nets in different parts of India. Accounts of other crocodilians entangled in fishing nets include the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) (Hutton and Child 1989), Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) (De Silva 2008;Gunn et al 2010;Amarasinghe et al 2015), and False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) (Hassan et al 2016). Fishing nets also have been identified as a major threat to the world's most critically endangered crocodilian, the Indian Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) (Hussain 1999;Sharma and Basu 2004;Bhatta 2009;Katdare et al 2011;Lang et al 2019).…”

Section: Indian Rock Pythons (Python Molurus)mentioning

confidence: 99%