SARAWAK is grappling with a growing crocodile population, raising safety concerns among communities whose daily lives and livelihoods depend on the state’s extensive river network.
The saltwater crocodile, once heavily hunted and facing an uncertain future, has made a remarkable comeback after decades of protection and conservation efforts.
Yet, this success has brought a new challenge, with rising crocodile numbers leading to more frequent encounters with humans.
The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) estimates the state’s crocodile population at around 25,000, spread across more than 4,500 kilometres of river systems and 40 major river basins.
As their numbers grow and human activities increasingly encroach on their habitats, the likelihood of human-crocodile conflicts has become a growing concern.
Riverside and rural communities face heightened risks as the reptiles move closer to human settlements in search of food. Between 2023 and 2025, crocodile attacks in Sarawak resulted in 22 deaths, including five in 2025, according to a recent report.
So far this year, nine crocodile attacks resulting in five deaths have been recorded in the state. They include the following three incidents.
On August 11, 2026, 78-yearold Sambai Anggah was killed in a crocodile attack while gathering river snails with her family near Suai Bridge in Batu Niah, Miri, Sarawak.
Sambai was in a small boat while her family member was in the water nearby. Suddenly, at approximately 11 am, a crocodile grabbed her from the boat and dragged her roughly 10 metres away into a tributary of Sungai Suai.
Nearby villagers rushed to the scene and surrounded the crocodile, forcing the reptile to release the victim. Sambai’s body was later recovered from the river and brought to a jetty before being handed over to the police.
The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) dispatched personnel from the Batu Niah station following an emergency call at 11.26 am to secure and monitor the area.
The crocodile was reportedly caught by local villagers and authorities shortly after the incident. On May 7 this year, an angler, 64-year-old Liew Mei Koon was fatally mauled near the Ridan River bridge in Marudi.
Search and rescue teams later recovered partial remains — including a head, a hand, and two legs — along the riverbank.
Another tragic crocodile attack occurred in Sadong Jaya on the morning of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at approximately 11 am to 12.30 pm near the Sungai Buloh Bridge along Batang Sadong.
The victim, Mohd Faizal Abdillah, was catching shrimps and casting a net with a friend while wading waistdeep in the water as the tide receded. Suddenly, a crocodile grabbed and dragged him away. Local fishermen and a multi-agency search and rescue team located his body intact with bite marks a day later.
The challenge for Sarawak is not to reduce crocodile numbers.
It is to strike a balance between protecting human lives and conserving a species that has successfully recovered from past overexploitation.
For many rural communities, rivers remain an important part of daily life.
Fishermen, farmers, boat operators and villagers use rivers for transport, work and other activities.
Children and adults may also visit riverbanks for recreation or household activities.
This close relationship with waterways means that any increase in crocodile activity can quickly become a threat to public safety.
Authorities have said that encounters are increasing as crocodiles move closer to settlements, partly because food is more easily available near human activities. Uncontrolled rubbish disposal is another problem.
The Sarawak Rivers Board has warned that crocodiles can be attracted to areas with uncontrolled waste disposal, particularly near populated communities, residential areas and construction sites. Shaded and muddy river areas can also provide favourable conditions for the reptiles.
The Sarawak government and SFC have introduced a range of measures aimed at reducing the danger while ensuring that crocodiles are not driven towards extinction again. One major approach is the capture and removal of dangerous crocodiles from human-crocodile conflict hotspots.
SFC’s 2026 biodiversity strategy includes targets to conduct at least 48 crocodile removal operations, remove at least 500 dangerous crocodiles from conflict areas and collect and remove at least 2,500 crocodile eggs from hotspot areas.
Crocodiles captured near villages and residential areas may be relocated to specially identified and controlled areas. Proposed or identified locations include Kuching Wetlands, Pulau Seduku in the Batang Lupar area, Rajang National Park, and areas in Sibuti, Limbang and Lawas.
Another measure is the issuance of controlled hunting and harvesting licences.
More than 70 permits have been issued for crocodile management and population control, although authorities have acknowledged that not all licence holders are actively involved in hunting operations.
The licensed crocodile hunters are working with authorities in the state to remove dangerous reptiles and reduce the deadly attacks. Hunting and population-control activities are carried out under strict regulation rather than indiscriminate killing. You can follow the exciting adventures of some of the licensed crocodile hunters in Sarawak on TikTok.
One of them, Jeffrey Siew, 41, even shares dishes that can be cooked with crocodile meat on his Facebook page.
The state has also established Crocodile Removal Zones in highrisk areas and divisional crocodile task forces to coordinate responses to sightings and complaints.
The Sarawak CrocWatch application allows members of the public to report crocodile sightings, enabling authorities to identify areas requiring immediate attention.
Warning signs have also been installed at locations known to pose a high risk.
Public awareness remains another important part of the strategy.
Communities are urged to stay away from dangerous riverbanks, obey warning signs and promptly report crocodile sightings.
Joint efforts between agencies are also focusing on identifying breeding areas, monitoring high-risk locations and discouraging improper waste disposal that may attract crocodiles closer to human settlements.
Sarawak is also developing a longer-term management strategy with input from international experts, including specialists from Australia.
The aim is to learn from countries with experience in managing crocodile populations and to develop a system that can distinguish between crocodiles that pose a greater risk and those that can safely remain in protected habitats. Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg last year revealed that the state government had even dispatched a team to Australia to research the country’s successful crocodile management and capture techniques.
“In Australia, although there are not many crocodiles, they have a sanctuary where crocodiles are collected and managed by crocodile experts.
“Studies show that some crocodiles are aggressive and some are not. In fact, there is a buffalo breeding area in Darwin that coexists with crocodiles without any disturbance.
This shows that the reptiles have their own instincts, so we need to understand this matter through research,” he said.
According to Abang Johari, the increase in the state’s crocodile population is due to changes in the way of life of the people who now use the rivers less as the main routes than before.
“In the past, rivers were always used, there was movement of water. Now, with the presence of roads, the rivers are calm and crocodiles reproduce quickly as many eggs are hatched in undisturbed habitats,” he explained.
Crocodiles remain an important part of Sarawak’s ecosystem and cultural heritage, with some indigenous communities traditionally regarding them with great respect and observing taboos against harming them.
But as the population grows and human activities continue to overlap with crocodile habitats, stronger and more systematic management is becoming increasingly necessary. The answer may lie in a combination of targeted removal, egg collection, controlled hunting, relocation, better reporting, public education and stricter management of high-risk areas.
For communities living along Sarawak’s rivers, the message is clear: conservation efforts must be balanced with public safety.
As the state moves towards a more comprehensive crocodile management system, the ultimate aim is to ensure that people can live and work along its rivers without having to constantly fear what may be lurking beneath the surface.
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at adelinel888@gmail.com.
