PANGKALPINANG -- The Alobi Animal Rescue Center (PPS) in Kampoeng, PT Timah's Water Reclamation, often evacuates and rehabilitates crocodiles that conflict with the community.
Currently, as many as 20 crocodiles are being rehabilitated at the Alobi PPS in PT Timah's Tanjung Water Reclamation Village. These rehabilitated crocodiles are the result of evacuation from the community.
The Manager of PPS Alobi AirANGKAng, Endy R. Yusuf, said that the crocodiles being rehabilitated at PT Timah's Kampoeng AirANGKAng Reclamation were the result of conflict with the community.
As is known, the number of conflicts between crocodiles and the community in Bangka Belitung has increased in recent years. This is caused by disruption of the crocodile ecosystem due to illegal mining.
In fact, the conflict between crocodiles and humans has also caused several residents to die.
In fact, crocodiles are one of the protected animals in accordance with Law No. 5 of 1990 concerning the conservation of biological natural resources and Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation P 106 of 2018.
"Conflicts between crocodiles and humans have recently increased. This is because crocodile habitats have been disturbed due to increasingly massive illegal tin mining," he said.
According to their observations, crocodile habitats, which are generally located in rivers, have now been mined by illegal mines, so crocodiles are looking for new places or coming to rivers which are usually used by people for activities.
"Illegal mining not only damages rivers as pollution but also causes damage to the ecosystem which affects the existing ecology. Crocodiles attack wild animals not only because they are hungry but also to protect themselves," he said.
Endy explained that when there is a crocodile conflict, people tend to catch crocodiles and after being caught, the crocodiles usually die because they are hit by fishing rods.
"If there is an incident where a crocodile attacks a human, usually the community catches the crocodile. This is what we are still continuing to educate. Crocodiles have protected animals, usually after being caught the crocodile is brought to us or we rescue it," he explained.
Currently, he said, PPS Alobi AirANGKAng can only rehabilitate crocodiles, but cannot release crocodiles because there is no special area to release crocodiles.
"We don't have a special zone to release the crocodiles that we have rehabilitated, so they are all at the Alobi AirANGKAng PPS. Actually, we have to have one zone to release the crocodiles," he explained.
In the future, Endy hopes that all parties can work together to protect the wildlife ecosystem. The existence of wild animals is very important for the sustainability of the ecosystem
"Tin mining must be managed well, if it is done illegally, no one is responsible for environmental damage," he said.
So far, he said, they and PT Timah have consistently carried out rehabilitation of wild animals at the Alobi AirANGKAng PPS.
"So far, we together with PT Timah have rehabilitated protected animals, then also released them into their natural habitat. We hope that other mining companies will also carry out similar things so that tin mining can be carried out well," he said.
"We at PPS Alobi invite the public not to damage the environmental ecosystem and protect the animals," he concluded. (*)
