Croc are not utilised
Crocodile products, including the meat, have an exclusive market and they should be better utilised in Namibia taking into account increased conflict with these animals.
Increased contact between people and crocodiles in Namibia's northern rivers is contributing to an increase in crocodile attacks on humans and livestock.
Others factors are a growing crocodile population which is going hungry because of overfishing by humans, and a growing human population making use of the same rivers.
Although the animals can be used sustainably to benefit communities economically, it is being underutilised at the moment, says the deputy programme manager of Namparks, Michael Sibalatani, who was speaking at the National Wildlife Conference last week.
According to him the number of crocodiles in Namibia dropped significantly in the 1960s and 1970s due to hunting of wild crocodiles for their skins throughout the Zambezi Region.
Increasing international controls in the trade of crocodile skins resulted in the gradual recovery of the wild population.
Providing some of the latest figures available, Sibalatani said in 2014 the Kavango River system was home to 376 crocodiles and the Mahango River system had 276.
In 2015 there were 2 015 crocodiles in the Zambezi/Chobe River system and in the Kwando River system there were 680 crocodiles.
In the Kunene River there were 1 065 crocodiles in 2013.
Sibalatani said in recent years crocodile attacks had become a major problem.
According to him that was because of an increase of human activities such as fishing, swimming and drawing water. Another reason was that overfishing left large crocodiles struggling to catch enough fish and likely switching to livestock and humans for food.
According to a community game guard in the Wuparo Conservancy, Fidelis Lizumo, conservancies in the Zambezi Region reported 678 incidents where livestock were killed by crocodiles between 2011 and 2015. One person was killed by a crocodile between 2015 and 2016.
Potianus Muraghuli from the Kavango East Region said a growing crocodile population in the two Kavango regions had resulted in a considerable conflict with people.
According to him between six and eight people a year are killed by crocodiles and hippos in the two regions. About 30 domestic animals are killed by crocodiles annually.
Sibalatani said there was a very low off-take of crocodiles through trophy hunting and that the wild population was not exploited for their skins, meat or eggs.
“There are limited incentives for communities to tolerate crocodiles,” he said.
He suggested that trophy-hunting operations should assist in offsetting the costs of conflict.
He said there is an annual trophy-hunting quota of 25 crocodiles but apparently fewer hunting licences were issued.
According to him from 2010 to 2016 only 75 crocodile skins were exported as trophies from a total quota of 175.
“Crocodiles can be sustainably utilised but are underutilised currently.”
Sibalatani further elaborated on crocodile farming, saying it had a sound economic and conservation value.
The Otjiwarongo Crocodile Ranch, which has been operational since 1985, will be expanding to the Outjo area, he said.
He said there was a potential market for harvesting crocodile eggs and skins from the wild, and there was also growing interest in the consumption of crocodile meat in Namibia.
He also mentioned the Manyeaha Crocodile Leather Processing and Training Centre at Kongola, which is still under construction. This is a government initiative through the Namibia Development Corporation (NDC).
The centre will process and export crocodile leather.
He said the ministry should consider issuing communities with permits for supplying the centre with eggs, skins and young crocodiles.
“If not supported communities living alongside crocodiles will lose out,” said Sibalatani.
Some of the mitigation measures that should be considered are education of local communities on crocodile ecology, conflict avoidance measures and behavioural change. Crocodile-proof harbours should be considered in strategic areas. Sibalatani said the use of indigenous knowledge should be promoted in the control of confirmed problem animals.
ELLANIE SMIT
Others factors are a growing crocodile population which is going hungry because of overfishing by humans, and a growing human population making use of the same rivers.
Although the animals can be used sustainably to benefit communities economically, it is being underutilised at the moment, says the deputy programme manager of Namparks, Michael Sibalatani, who was speaking at the National Wildlife Conference last week.
According to him the number of crocodiles in Namibia dropped significantly in the 1960s and 1970s due to hunting of wild crocodiles for their skins throughout the Zambezi Region.
Increasing international controls in the trade of crocodile skins resulted in the gradual recovery of the wild population.
Providing some of the latest figures available, Sibalatani said in 2014 the Kavango River system was home to 376 crocodiles and the Mahango River system had 276.
In 2015 there were 2 015 crocodiles in the Zambezi/Chobe River system and in the Kwando River system there were 680 crocodiles.
In the Kunene River there were 1 065 crocodiles in 2013.
Sibalatani said in recent years crocodile attacks had become a major problem.
According to him that was because of an increase of human activities such as fishing, swimming and drawing water. Another reason was that overfishing left large crocodiles struggling to catch enough fish and likely switching to livestock and humans for food.
According to a community game guard in the Wuparo Conservancy, Fidelis Lizumo, conservancies in the Zambezi Region reported 678 incidents where livestock were killed by crocodiles between 2011 and 2015. One person was killed by a crocodile between 2015 and 2016.
Potianus Muraghuli from the Kavango East Region said a growing crocodile population in the two Kavango regions had resulted in a considerable conflict with people.
According to him between six and eight people a year are killed by crocodiles and hippos in the two regions. About 30 domestic animals are killed by crocodiles annually.
Sibalatani said there was a very low off-take of crocodiles through trophy hunting and that the wild population was not exploited for their skins, meat or eggs.
“There are limited incentives for communities to tolerate crocodiles,” he said.
He suggested that trophy-hunting operations should assist in offsetting the costs of conflict.
He said there is an annual trophy-hunting quota of 25 crocodiles but apparently fewer hunting licences were issued.
According to him from 2010 to 2016 only 75 crocodile skins were exported as trophies from a total quota of 175.
“Crocodiles can be sustainably utilised but are underutilised currently.”
Sibalatani further elaborated on crocodile farming, saying it had a sound economic and conservation value.
The Otjiwarongo Crocodile Ranch, which has been operational since 1985, will be expanding to the Outjo area, he said.
He said there was a potential market for harvesting crocodile eggs and skins from the wild, and there was also growing interest in the consumption of crocodile meat in Namibia.
He also mentioned the Manyeaha Crocodile Leather Processing and Training Centre at Kongola, which is still under construction. This is a government initiative through the Namibia Development Corporation (NDC).
The centre will process and export crocodile leather.
He said the ministry should consider issuing communities with permits for supplying the centre with eggs, skins and young crocodiles.
“If not supported communities living alongside crocodiles will lose out,” said Sibalatani.
Some of the mitigation measures that should be considered are education of local communities on crocodile ecology, conflict avoidance measures and behavioural change. Crocodile-proof harbours should be considered in strategic areas. Sibalatani said the use of indigenous knowledge should be promoted in the control of confirmed problem animals.
ELLANIE SMIT
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