Crocodile cruelty on the rise

The country's crocodile population is being hunted and sold for profit, according to Lawrence Henriques, founder of the Holland Bay Crocodile Sanctuary in St Thomas.

Henriques told THE STAR that poachers are killing crocodiles and selling the flesh for thousands of dollars per pound, describing it as a lucrative underground market driven by greed and novelty. People, he said, are paying up to $4,000 a pound for crocodile meat.

"You can buy 10 pounds of chicken for one pound of crocodile. It's exotic, it's a novelty, and that's the problem," he said, calling the practice one of the island's most troubling wildlife crimes. Henriques opined that the trade has gone largely unnoticed.

"It's been happening behind the scenes for a long time," he said. "You're just seeing more of it now because people are filming and posting it. A lot of people don't care; they think it's a novelty to go and video someone beating a crocodile."

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) recently echoed those concerns, confirming a surge in crocodile cruelty across the island. The agency said it receives videos weekly showing people taunting, injuring, or killing the protected reptiles, sometimes during live broadcasts. NEPA reminded Jamaicans that the Jamaican crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is a protected species under the Wild Life Protection Act, which carries penalties of up to three years in prison or a $3 million fine.

Henriques said shrinking wetlands are forcing crocodiles into communities where they're often met with hostility.

"These animals have very little space to work with," he explained. "In the old days, there were a lot more wetlands. Now they're right on your doorstep, Seaview Gardens, Riverton City, Portmore, trying to survive close to human habitation. But that doesn't mean you have to kill them, because they are protected."

He said poachers thrive in areas such as South Clarendon, St Elizabeth and St Catherine, where enforcement is weak.

"They know it's illegal to hurt these animals or kill them, but they do it anyway," he told THE STAR. "They'll claim ignorance, but that's rubbish, they know."

Henriques added that limited manpower and funding make consistent policing nearly impossible.

"By the time NEPA gets the information and reaches the area, it's all over and done with," he said. "Even when there's a case, it takes forever to prosecute, and most people only get a slap on the wrist."

While many Jamaicans claim to fear the reptiles, Henriques insists they are rarely dangerous when left alone.

"Sure, a big crocodile is a formidable animal. But the chance of you actually getting hurt by one is very small, unless you go and trouble it. If you poke it and it bites you, that's your fault."

He explained that crocodiles are semi-aquatic explorers that often move around after heavy rains, using rivers and coastal waters as natural highways.

"It's not something to worry about," he said. "This is what they do; they're crab and fish specialists. If you see one, leave it alone and call NEPA. They normally go about their business."

Jamaica's crocodile population has fallen to fewer than 1,000, excluding hatchlings, and Henriques fears the species could vanish if the killings continue. He said older generations once understood that crocodiles were part of the island's natural rhythm, but attitudes have shifted.

"We don't have the right to destroy a national animal," he said. "In the old days, people accepted that they were part of the system. Now we sensationalise them. It's our national animal and we shouldn't be turning it into stir-fry."