Quite scared...

An impression of crocodile hotspots

Ok I’m not going to lie, we were quite scared. A four meter crocodile was growling and then started swimming towards us, it was night, and thus we ran. Regardless, we had an amazing time and a lot of fun.

Most rivers in the district have no resident population of crocodiles; threats are seasonal with crocodiles moving upstream in the wet season. Most communities are aware of the danger crocodiles pose but are not willing to avoid their habitat for a number of reasons.

In order for human-crocodile conflict to be reduced or prevented there are three major priorities for the KWS problem animal control regime.

1. First and foremost, a crocodile monitoring program, at least quarterly, and within different sites in the district.

2. Community outreach programs for raising awareness and education about crocodiles need to be instigated. This would include information on when the crocodiles are where, how to avoid conflict, and to gain a general respect of crocodiles.

3. Follow through with the goals of KWS and pursue scientific endeavors to further understand the crocodiles of the district and initiate innovative ways for human-crocodile conflict.

4. Strengthen affiliations both with partners such as GVI and extend to others such as crocodile farms for training, information and assistance, and the tourism businesses which, at least partially, use crocodiles to attract clientele.

Quite scared...