Residents Return To Mangsa, Mukomuko BPBD Asks BKSDA To Immediately Move Crocodiles From Selagan River

A number of residents of Mukomuko City Subdistrict, Mukomuko Regency evacuated residents who died from being attacked by crocodiles, Monday (15/4/2024). (ANTARA/Ferri)

BENGKULU - The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Mukomuko Regency asked the authorities to accelerate the relocation of crocodiles that prey on residents.

The Head of Emergency BPBD Mukomuko Ahmad Hidayat Syah said the effort was to avoid the conflict between crocodiles and humans in the area. "We ask the BKSDA to immediately take action or deal with crocodiles in the Selagan River to be relocated from the river," he said in Mukomuko, Bengkulu, Thursday, April 18, confiscated by Antara. He said this after a resident of Tanah Harapan Village was reported to have died when he was attacked by an estuarine crocodile while looking for a leak in the Selagan River on Monday, April 15 afternoon. The victim named the idea of Suprianto (27) from Sari Bulan Village, Air Dikit District, who married a resident of Tanah Harapan Village, died after being bitten by a crocodile, then the animal threw the victim's body repeatedly in the Selagan River. According to him, the reptile species in the Selagan River could no longer live side by side with local residents because two people had died as victims due to the ferocity of the crocodiles there.

Ia mengatakan Sungai Selagan tersebut merupakan tempat mata pencaharian warga di wilayah itu sejak puluhan tahun. Selama itu warga mencari lokan tetapi tidak pernah diganggu oleh buaya.Untuk itu, pihak-pihak terkait diminta merelokasi buaya ke tempat yang lain yang tidak mengganggu aktivitas warga dalam berusaha."Kami juga heran kemunculan buaya-buaya itu sering terlihat oleh warga sekitar, kami yakin Sungai Selagan itu bukan habitat buaya, tetapi dari luar sungai tersebut," ujarnya pula.Sementara itu, katanya, pada bulan Februari 2022 korban bernama Sabri (65), warga Desa Tanah Rekah, Kabupaten Mukomuko juga meninggal dunia karena dimangsa buaya di Sungai Selagan di wilayah ini.Korban yang bekerja sebagai pencari lokan atau kerang ini sempat menghilang selama satu jam di sungai tersebut kemudian ditemukan dalam keadaan meninggal dunia.