On August 14, a 10-year old boy was reported to be killed in Balabac, Palawan "after being snatched from a boat by a saltwater crocodile in southern Philippines, as the reptiles' shrinking habitat leads to repeated attacks," according to an article from Rappler PH.
Photo by Hannah Reyes Morales for New York Times
The town of Balabac is said to be "notorious for confrontations with the massive creatures." The father of the boy was not able to receive his son's body after an overnight search. On August 12, a fisherman discovered the child's half-body remains in a mangrove swamp, according to a police report.
This is not the only case that the town encountered such gruesome incident. In fact, since 2015 the town of Balabac never had a year with zero crocodile attacks, according to Government Council Spokesman Jovic Pabello. "It's a conflict on water use," he added.
Photo of Balabac, Palawan by Hannah Reyes Morales for New York Times
Earlier cases of crocodile attacks include: [1] This February 2019 a 12-year old boy was grabbed by a saltwater crocodile. The boy managed to escape when his siblings were able to hit the crocodile's head using oars. [2] On February 2018, a fisherman was found half-eaten by the same species of crocodile; [3] and three months before the fisherman incident, his 12-year niece was dragged away by a crocodile. The girl's body was never seen again.
Do these incidents mean that the animals are climbing their way up in the food chain? or are they reclaiming their habitats in which we humans either destroyed or exploited? 🤔
