By Annuar Kapok
KABONG: A fisherman in Kabong today discovered crocodiles have a taste for horseshoe crabs.
Perhaps horseshoe crabs that have been snared in fishing nets make for an easy catch for crocodiles.
Fifty-seven-year old Jalil Oton has noted an increase in the presence of crocodiles in the Kabong estuary.
This easy catch for crocodiles has resulted in fishing nets and traps destroyed in addition to loss of horseshoe crabs and fish.
The presence of these crocodiles also sparked fear among the fishermen there.
“These crocodiles are only found in the upper reaches of the river. Now they have started to look for food at the river mouth in the saltwater region.
“I put out nets for fish. I often encountered a crocodile in the middle of eating nuts that caught snakes in nets.
“Now the population of crocodiles is increasing in the Kabong estuary area quite a bit. The size of the body varies from the size of the palm to 2 feet wide,” he said.
According to Jalil, crocodiles eat the horseshoe crab by clawing and flattening it before swallowing it. In the process, the fishing nets will become torn.
Most of these crocodiles appear in the evening.
The increasing presence of crocodiles is now a threat to fishermen, especially coastal fishermen and residents using drag trawlers.
