An Indonesian man has died after being attacked by a Crocodile on Saturday 14 April 2018. Hongkiat, 19, was working on a Sago plantation on Palau Tebingtinggi (an island off the northeast coast of Sumatra), when he was seized by a Saltwater Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, and dragged him into a river. His body was later recovered by local villagers.
The approximate location of the 14 April 2018 Palau Tebingtinggi Crocodile attack. Google Maps.
Crocodile attacks on Humans are relatively rare, but they are
opportunistic ambush predators and will potentially attack anything
going close to the water. Saltwater Crocodiles have a particularly poor
reputation for such behaviour, being the largest species of Crocodile
and notoriously aggressive. These Crocodiles are one
of the few Crocodile species not considered vulnerable to extinction,
being found from India to Australia and inhabiting many areas that
Humans shun, such as Mangrove forests and islands without fresh water.
A Saltwater Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, in Australia's Northern Territory. Paul Thomsen/Wildfoto/Wikimedia Commons.
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