A crocodile suns itself along the lower Black River in St. Elizabeth. Although feared by many Jamaicans, the American crocodile, which is endemic to Jamaica, is harmless unless provoked or threatened.
-Andrew Smith photoFrancine Black, Staff Reporter
THE CONTINUED des-truction of the island's wetlands has brought more crocodiles from the mangroves closer to the land. The movement of the animals now poses a serious threat to human life and livestock in some communities.
The creatures live in sections of the 17,000 hectares of mangroves along the island's coastline. This habitat, however, has been adversely affected by housing developments and over-fishing, which have cut off a major food source for the crocodiles.
The crocodile invasion of housing schemes and institutions is not limited to Portmore, St. Catherine, as the reptiles have been seen in greater numbers in places such as Milk River, Clarendon and Black River, St. Elizabeth, where two crocodile habitats exist.
As the sightings increase and Jamaicans complain about crocodiles invading their personal spaces, local environmentalists counter that people are the ones who have caused the problem.
Recently, residents of the Greater Portmore community expressed fear about the presence of crocodiles in the area. However, this problem, which has been affecting other parts of Portmore for some time, is a direct result of persons moving into the crocodiles' community.
Brandon Hay, scientific officer attached to the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (CCAMF) which manages the Portland Bite Area (stretching from St. Catherine to Clarendon), believes that people should be blamed for the crocodile encroachment they are whining about.
Similar sentiments were ex-pressed by Zadie Neuf-ville, of the public education unit at the National Environment and Plan-ning Agency (NEPA) and Charles Swaby, operator of the Black River Safari in St. Elizabeth and the Falmouth Swamp Tours in Trelawny.
"It's not the crocodiles who are moving in on the people, it is the people who are moving into the crocodile's habitat," Ms. Neufville said.
MOVING OUT
She noted that the crocodiles often have no other swamps to move into after their habitats have been taken over and, hence, they remain in the community finding alternative living spaces in drains, canals, sewage ponds and other wet areas.
Against the background of the continued 'development' of the wetland, Mr. Swaby has called for urgent attention to be paid to this problem. He argued that a continuation of this could pose serious threats to the tourism industry which the Jamaican economy largely depends upon.
"In another five years, there are going to be big problems in tourism on the south coast and the north coast," he predicted.
These problems, he said, would increase crocodile presence in the sea where the reptiles may end up if their homes the wetlands continue to be destroyed.
He theorised that destruction of crocodile habitats along the south coast have forced them to travel via the sea to the north coast, where there was a small crocodile population.
"When the Government is putting up these developments and dumping up the wetlands no one thinks about what will happen to the crocodiles that live in that wetlands," Mr. Swaby said.
He noted that last year a few deaths were averted after he removed a crocodile weighing 1,000 lb from a lake in the backyard of a resident in Middle Quarters, St. Elizabeth.
According to Mr. Swaby, prior to the sighting, the lady and her two grandchildren were swimming in the stream where a goat was also tied close by. The family left the stream and went inside their house, however, later when the lady passed by, the goat was gone, apparently it was eaten by the creature.
People are also being discouraged from feeding the reptiles as this is a dangerous practice. According to Mr. Swaby, feeding the crocodiles on land will cause the reptiles to develop a custom of coming on land regularly for food.
This custom can be dangerous as when they turn up for the food and there is none, an animal, or in very rare instances such as one in Black River in 1999, a human is snatched away.
At the Safari Tours operated by Mr. Swaby, feeding the crocodiles is part of the attraction. He claims this is not as dangerous as feeding the crocodiles on land. He added that this was also safer since there was shortage of food for the reptiles who might come on land in search of the nourishment.
"The wetlands have been severely over-fished and hardly enough food is in the wetlands for the crocodiles," he said.
