How palm oil caused a crazy invasion crocodiles (6 photos)

Last year, there were about 180 crocodile attacks in Indonesia, 92 of which were fatal. That's more than any other country in the world, even India, which has more than a billion people. Suddenly, Indonesia is to blame for its own crocodile scourge.





Where do you get so many, Indonesia?

In the villages surrounding the Budong Budong River, crocodiles have become a daily topic of conversation. Their presence has become so common that villages now have warning signs around where the crocodiles are hiding. Children have gradually stopped swimming in the river altogether, all within the space of a generation.

Social media is flooded with videos of crocodile encounters and attacks on humans.



The crocodiles there - my respects

The increase in attacks began about 12 years ago with the advent of oil palm plantations around the mouth of the river. Some companies have dug artificial waterways, connecting them to the greater Budong Budong River. That's when the crocodiles started to stray, leaving the river and crawling into nearby residential areas. They ended up in fish and shrimp ponds. Imagine how happy the owners were to see such a "shrimp".





This is what these new plantations look like

Palm oil plantations are now practically ubiquitous in West Sulawesi. They have been planted everywhere - from the mountains to the coast. And patrolling to check for crocodiles has become part of people's daily lives.

Every day, residents check the water pumps in their ponds to see if there is a baby crocodile there. They have no choice but to keep an eye on the animals, a problem that the authorities have left to them.



The crocodiles literally swam through canals that Indonesians made themselves

On top of all this, crocodiles are protected by law in Indonesia, as authorities balance between preserving the species and keeping them safe. But as attacks increase, several residents and experts have called for more effective government intervention. In short, petitions are popping up to kill the extra crocodiles.

Don't touch the crocodile!



By the way, palm oil, palm oil. Have you seen what it's made of? This is it!

The saltwater crocodile has been a protected species in Indonesia since 1999. Free hunting is prohibited. Moreover, it is a dominant predator, it has no enemies in the wild (and it could have a human).

The government subsidized one farm for the crocodile's passage and hired a crocodile trainer to look after them. But there is less space there than there are extra crocodiles in the river.

There are four ponds and about 50 reptiles on the farm. And that number of mouths exceeds the subsidies, so the farmers feed the animals meat with their own money. But, as you understand, 50 is a drop in the ocean. In a sea of ​​crocodiles!



This is how the crocodiles sit on the crocodile farm, in concrete and cramped conditions

The fact that this species is protected does not mean that the population cannot be reduced, if you think logically. After all, they should not live in this area! They swam along artificial canals. In another ten years, there will be thousands of crocodiles here. As well as the number of people eaten, because crocodiles have to eat something, there will be several hundred.