Crocodile attack in Indonesia: 45-year-old drowns brutally in the canal!

Crocodile attack in Indonesia: 45-year-old drowns brutally in the canal!

Pasaman Barat, Indonesien - On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, there was a tragic crocodile attack in which a 45-year-old swimmer lost his life. The man's body was recovered from a channel on Wednesday, about 200 meters from the last point of view. The attack occurred on Tuesday morning in the Pasaman Barat district when the man and a friend swam through the canal. A salt water crocodile (crocodyyl porosus) attacked it and pulled it under water with violence. His friend was unable to save him.

The Search and Rescue Service in SASARNAS used three teams with inflatable boats, drones with thermal sensors and coastal patrols for the elaborate search. Underwater location devices were also used to find the victim. The region in which the attack took place is characterized by palm oil plantations that have spread rapidly in the past two decades due to global demand. These plantations have often displaced natural river systems and forested wetlands, which has created new habitats for crocodiles.

growing risk from crocodiles

The number of crocodiles in the populated areas of Indonesia has increased dramatically, which often leads to fatal consequences. Indonesia has the highest number of crocodile attacks worldwide. Between 2015 and 2024, 1,167 attacks were registered nationwide, 556 of which were fatal. These are more incidents than in any other country, which illustrates the urgency of the problem.

In 2024, 179 crocodile attacks on humans were recorded in the entire country, 92 of them fatal. For comparison: in Australia there were only seven attacks with three deaths. Some fishermen report an increasing visibility of the crocodiles, which used to be rare in these waters. According to Amir Hamidy, a reptile expert, population growth and environmental changes are the main causes of increasing interactions between humans and crocodiles.

habitat changes and coexistence

The most common conflicts arise with the inguinal crocodile, which is common in both Southeast Asia and Australia. Regions such as Eastern Calimantan and Bangka should be given special attention, where mining and agriculture affect habitats of the crocodiles. In the first few months of this year there were two deaths in Bangka due to crocodile attacks and four injuries. In the past, hunting for crocodiles in Indonesia was banned, but the destruction of their habitats and the decline in their population still represent challenges.

Different systems for warning and protection against attacks that exist in Australia are missing in Indonesia. Experts demand the creation of effective measures for coexistence between humans and crocodiles to avoid future tragedies. The tragic incident on Sumatra underlines the urgency of these problems and the need to take the dangers that work out of these animals seriously.