MIRI: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has introduced crocodile egg collection licences as one of its approaches to managing the reptile population in a controlled and sustainable manner.
SFC Wildlife Officer from the Crocodile Management Section, Dr Mohd Izwan Zulaini Abdul Gani said the initiative was introduced two years ago and several licences had since been issued, although uptake remained low.
He said SFC is prepared to work with licence holders to collect crocodile eggs from the wild, particularly in areas where the reptiles could pose a risk to human safety.
“Besides hunting licences, we actually have licences for collecting crocodile eggs, which many people may still be unaware of.
“There have been several applications and licences issued, but the response remains low,” he said in an UKAS report during the First 2026 Inter-Agency Special Task Force Meeting on Human-Crocodile Conflict Management at the Miri Resident’s Office recently.
Izwan said SFC had recently received a report about a crocodile nest found at an oil palm plantation in Miri.
“As there is no licence holder
available to collect the eggs, SFC took action to remove them from the area to reduce the risk to plantation workers and nearby residents.
“When there is a nest, the female crocodile is usually nearby, and this situation can pose a danger,” he said.
He said Miri previously had at least one licensed crocodile egg collector who worked with SFC to remove eggs from the wild.
On crocodile reproduction, Izwan, who has nearly 15 years of experience in reptile management, said the largest number of eggs he had found in a crocodile nest in Sarawak was about 70.
He said although there are claims that a crocodile could produce up to 100 eggs, field observations indicated that the maximum number was estimated at around 80 eggs.
He also explained that female crocodiles needed to mate with males to produce fertile eggs, while unmated females could still lay eggs, but those eggs would not hatch into crocodiles.
He said understanding crocodile
breeding patterns is important in helping SFC determine appropriate population management methods, including licensed egg collection in selected areas.
