An Indonesian man has died after being attacked by a Crocodile in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on northwest Borneo. Muh Tahir Majid Syam, 40, described as a migrant worker on a Palm oil plantation, was dragged underwater on Tuesday 1 October 2019, while hunting for Crabs by a river. His body was found the next day, covered in bite marks. The attack is believed to have been the work of a Saltwater Crocodile, Crocodylus porosus.
A Saltwater Crocodile in Sarawak. Stuff.
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.
All Crocodiles were formerly protected in Malaysia, but in 2017 Sarawak began issuing permits to hunt Saltwater Crocodiles, after reports that 27 people were killed in the state in 2016. Hunters are prevented from taking trophies out of the country, however, as all Crocodile products are covered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), and a special permit would be needed to export meat, skin or hatchlings.
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