KUCHING: The local community should be allowed to venture into the crocodile skin and meat industry as one of the approaches to control the population of the reptile in Sarawak, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

       The de facto law minister, however, said this must be done out with control and guidance from the authorities, so that the community could participate in the industry that grosses billions of ringgit in profits globally.

       "Is there any legislation and a system related to the control of crocodiles in enabling it to be traded by local residents to provide returns to the local community as required by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)?,” he asked in a statement Friday (May 27).

       He was responding to the two recent crocodile attacks involving a five-year-old boy in Kampung Nyabut, Telaga Air, Kuching on Saturday (May 21) and a 56-year-old man in Sungai Ahong, Kampung Kangka, Lundu, last Thursday (May 19).

       Wan Junaidi, who previously held the post of Natural Resources and Environment Minister, said he succeeded in removing Sarawak from Schedule One to Two of CITES during a conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2016, following concerns over the overpopulation of crocodiles in the state.

       Wan Junaidi, who is also Santubong MP, added that with Sarawak in Schedule Two, the authorities can catch and kill crocodiles periodically and systematically to reduce their numbers without causing extinction.

       Despite being in Schedule Two, he said the reptile population was still out of control until attacks took place not only in rural areas but also in urban areas.

       "With a large number of crocodiles, it is certain that as long as there are drainage systems, rivers, and estuaries, there would be crocodiles preying,” he explained.

       Following that, he urged the relevant government agencies to implement proactive and holistic measures so that the attacks do not recur.

       "I want the authorities to take appropriate action to ensure the reptile does not disrupt the lives of the people of Sarawak,” he said.

       Wan Junaidi also expressed sympathy to the families of the two victims. - Bernama