PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) and the provincial government are considering the possibility of turning some areas in Balabac town into “crocodile sanctuaries” to protect residents from further attacks due to habitat intrusion.
Gil Acosta Jr., Provincial Information Officer, said Friday afternoon the creation of sanctuaries came up after Balabac fisherman Rebenti Ladja was killed by a saltwater crocodile in Sitio Tukanigao, Barangay Catagupan this week.
“The PCSD plan we are studying is to totally declare some areas as sort of protected areas, where it would be unauthorized for the people to live because the crocodile population is very high,” Acosta said.
Crocodile specialist Rainier Manalo, program director of the Crocodylus Porosus Philippines, Inc. (CPPI), said this will be a good move for both the safety of residents of the areas and the crocodile.
“It would really be good so people and crocodile can live peacefully. They can co-exist but we need to give both the protection they need, and that is to declare a crocodile sanctuary or a critical habitat,” Manalo said.
He said the Balabac areas, which are heavily populated by saltwater crocodiles, are Sitio Tukanigalo, Barangays Catagupan, Rabor, Agutayan, Pasig, and Lagdong.
Barangay Ramos Island also has a high presence, but it has not yet been surveyed by the CPPI.
“These areas are where they have lived ever since. Ramos Island, on the other hand, is where the crocodiles pass to go to Tukanigalo,” he explained.
Repeated attacks occur because people have encroached in their habitat, particularly in mangrove areas where they lay eggs after the mating season, Manalo said.
Based on studies conducted by the CPPI, an estimated 350 saltwater crocodiles dwell in southern Palawan, particularly in the towns of Rizal, Quezon, Brooke’s Point, Narra, and Bataraza.
They are also found in the northern part of the province in Roxas, Taytay, Dumaran, San Vicente, and Araceli but their population is very small, according to Manalo. (PNA)
