Filipino, 71, attacked by rogue crocodile, survives

Manila: A rogue reptile has sowed terror in a village in Palawan when a 71-year-old Oyong Miranda, fell victim to a crocodile attack as he waded into the river.

The assailant inflicted bites on Miranda’s leg and body when he ventured into the water around 5:30 pm on Tuesday evening, according to local police.

In a dramatic struggle for survival, the septuagenarian managed to break free from the jaws of the crocodile. The incident took place in a Barangay (village) Sumbiling in Bataraza, Palawan, located about 800 kilometers west of Manila.

Alert

Miranda was rushed to Rio Tuba Hospital, where medical professionals provided him with stitches for his wounds. Saramhel Armal, a village official in Sumbiling, explained that the victim had not realised the presence of the lurking danger as he entered the water, and the sudden attack took place behind his residence.

As the victim now convalesces from his injuries, the community remains on edge. Village officials issued a precautionary alert to residents, particularly children, who were urged to avoid swimming in the river that flows through their community.

Bataraza, situated at the southernmost tip of Palawan Island, approximately 225 kilometers from the capital Puerto Princesa, is known for its wild crocodile population.

Attacks

The presence of these formidable reptiles continues to cast a shadow of danger over parts of the tropical country, where crocodile attacks are not uncommon.

Earlier this year, residents captured a 15-foot saltwater crocodile, which died after being shot with a small-caliber firearm. In a separate incident in July, a lifeless 14.9-foot saltwater crocodile was discovered floating along the shoreline in Barangay Inogbong.

In November 2018, a fisherman in Palawan died in a crocodile attack. Local police and Coast Guard personnel recovered the mutilated cadaver of a fisherman believed to have been attacked by a saltwater crocodile in Balabac, southern Palawan.

A month prior, in October 2018, a male student swimming with his friends near the mouth of a river in southern Palawan was attacked by a seven-foot crocodile, according to the local police.