Jaime Torres, director of the El Salado Estuary, is urging residents that, if they see a crocodile in uncommon areas, and more so in this rainy season, the first thing they should do is call 911 so that authorities will come and remove them. They should never be disturbed, approached, or touched.
Torres said that we live in an area of crocodiles, and it is not unusual to see them in the runoff, rivers, or other bodies of water that are in the bay. However, there is a protocol that must be followed for them to be returned to their habitat.
“If we see a crocodile, we must call 911. That is how personnel of the Green Patrol, Municipal Ecology, and Civil Protection and Firefighters will arrive. If it is near the El Salado Estuary, we can go and assess. If the animal is in a site that can cause harm to pets or people, it is removed. If the animal is in its natural habitat, the animal stays there.”
He warned d that people should stay at least 15 meters away from a crocodile, since they are very fast on land and in water. They should not be disturbed, since they only go out in the sun to warm up and recharge energy.
He indicated that, in the rainy season, some crocodiles can be found moving through runoff that during the dry season does not have water. Some of these runoffs are within the city.
“It is likely that we will have more sightings, mainly of crocodiles less than a year old because they are confined to places where there are other large ones, and practically all the time they are fighting or struggling to survive. So, when they have better conditions to be able to move to another place, they do it,” said Torres.
He said that, if more sightings are seen, it does not mean that the crocodile population has grown. It is the same. They just move to other places in search of more food or better conditions to grow.
He said that there is a population of around 200 crocodiles of different sizes, no larger than three meters, and that there are 6 in the El Salado Estuary.