Continued poaching of crocodiles, driven by a growing appetite for the animal and belief that the meat is an aphrodisiac, is creating concern among wildlife conservationists who say the illegal activity is contributing to decline in the population of the endangered species.

Additionally, demand for the meat is lucrative because people who sell it can earn up to $300,000 per animal, the Jamaica Observer learnt.

Native to Jamaica’s coastal wetlands, the American crocodile stands atop the royal helmet of the British monarchy on the country’s Coat of Arms — a symbol of the island’s unique wildlife and natural heritage.

“A lot of our wildlife, I think we forget, was here long before us, and they are Jamaican as much as we are. They are part of our island. They’re part of our biodiversity and so we really need to just try and raise awareness and understand and appreciate [them],” said Treya Ann Picking, founder of JAMCROC Initiative, which focuses on crocodile conservation efforts across Jamaica.

Pointing to anecdotal evidence and reports, Picking explained that crocodile poaching in Jamaica is widespread, particularly along the south coast.

“When it comes to crocodiles, we do see a lot of consumption, particularly along the south coast because that’s where crocodiles are mainly concentrated and it stems across all types of backgrounds, all types of cultures, local communities. There’s no limit to the crocodile consumption,” she said.

According to Picking, an islandwide crocodile population survey conducted between 2020 and 2022 and spearheaded by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), in collaboration with The University of the West Indies, Mona and University of Florida’s Croc Docs, revealed concerning trends.

“What we can say is that in areas where crocodiles were known to be in abundance or there used to be a healthy population of crocodiles, we have seen a decline, particularly in natural habitats, for example, Black River,” she said.

The rise in poaching began in the early 2000s and has since been fuelled by a cultural belief that crocodile meat is an aphrodisiac. But experts say this is a myth with no scientific basis.

“We started to get reports of people consuming the tail meat from the early 2000s, and it is said to have started from a certain culture being introduced to the island where the crocodile meat is seen as a delicacy, and this spread amongst local communities and became a practice within these areas,” the wildlife conservationist shared.

This misconception, combined with a lack of appreciation for the animal, she said, has led to illegal hunting, sale and consumption.

“So, unfortunately, it has become something on the black market and I think what also fuelled it is the fact that… there are so many misconceptions towards crocodiles so people don’t necessarily see the importance. They don’t appreciate the animal…[But] they hold very important ecological purposes.

“They’re on our Coat of Arms. They are very much involved in ecotourism ventures and so it would be really unfortunate to drive this animal to extinction,” Picking continued.

Traditionally, crocodiles were poached primarily for their tail, the loss of which, in most cases, would be fatal to the animal. However, what initially started as a desire for their tails quickly grew into a demand for the entire animal.

Highlighting the growing prevalence of illegal crocodile consumption, terrestrial biologist Damion Whyte reflected on his experience working with NEPA to relocate displaced crocodiles over the years.

“When [we] go and move this animal, one time you used to hear people talking that they are afraid, but one of the popular things that they are doing now is, you go out there now and a man ask you, ‘You nah cook it, what’s the price?’ And people ask about the tail.

“So you hear the information coming up now about, ‘It tastes good,’ and what it tastes like. That’s a metric that tells you something is going on. And again, Jamaicans love to show off what they are doing on social media. That incidence is climbing up and in different places — who said they tried it, or want to try it,” Whyte shared.

“We know that people are eating them, and it is fully illegal. Our crocodiles are protected by law here. They are placed as an endangered species and that means you should not catch, harass — like throwing stones [at them] — without the permission of NEPA. You should not eat the egg — we’re aware that some people make punch [with it] — it doesn’t make you strong.”

Whyte further noted that social media has become a platform where people share videos cooking and grilling crocodile meat, treating it like an exotic food.

“People are putting [the events] on TikTok; some of these events are uptown, some of them are on the beach, where people are there jerking, have it on grill, and it seems like exotic food. All of that is totally illegal,” he said.

“There’s this push where people like exotic meat, and I’ve gone places outside of those areas where the person don’t know who they’re talking to, and they’re telling me they eat that. So there’s some little market that still go on. It might not be big, and it’s something that should be discouraged. But, if you’re not in the circle, you won’t know about it,” Whyte added.

The Sunday Observer’s on the ground checks revealed that this practice occurs in areas such as Portmore in St Catherine; Rocky Point and Salt River in Clarendon; Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland; and Parottee in St Elizabeth.

Captain Fabian Lindo, a conservation officer and marine ranger for the past 10 years, shared his own experience.

“In 2018, I was going out on patrol one morning and I saw a crocodile up the river — tail was missing and the back leg, so we know it was poaching,” he told the Sunday Observer.

He recalled another experience.

“I saw a person put up a video on TikTok seh him a jerk [crocodile]. I told him to help take care of the environment and the crocodile and all of that, and he sent back a smile emoji.”

Claiming that the entire crocodile can be eaten, a fisherman from Salt River explained how the meat is prepared for cooking.

“They just put him down and skin him, and then you turn him over, cut him from his head come straight down to his tail, and just clean him up and season him. Clean out the little things inside him and just season him — whether you want to chop him up and curry him, or you want to just put him down on the grill, because you have some big grill you can put down one whole crocodile on it and roast one time,” he told the Sunday Observer.

He said that where there is a demand for the meat, there will be men who try to hunt it and sell it, but stressed that the market is accessed through connections.

“It would come in like now, you feel like you want to eat it, so anywhere you know a beach is or anywhere you know a bar is, you go and you check a one man and you and him connect up and a just so it deal with,” he said.

Though the fisherman could not name a price, he said the meat is known for being sweet-tasting, which likely makes it a lucrative item.

“I don’t know the cost of it, but I hear they said it’s sweet, and from it sweet, the money must sweet, too, because they keep on catching it same way, and people eating it [so] that it gone so viral over
Facebook and TikTok now. Everywhere you look up on phone is crocodile you see a grill,” he said, adding that some people compare the taste of the meat to oxtail.

American crocodile populations are also threatened by habitat loss, invasive species and climate change. With a diet consisting primarily of fish, crabs, birds, crustaceans, and decaying matter, crocodiles are very good at cleaning up rivers, therefore keeping the country’s water sources clean and mangroves healthy.

“One of the things that many people will also tell you, ‘But is nuff crocodiles I see here.’ If you check it, most of our wetlands are getting smaller, and one of the places that you normally go in St Elizabeth, that’s the Swamp Safari, you’re not seeing a large number of crocodiles,” Whyte shared.

Picking agreed, and pointed out that in addition to a population decline there has been an increase in displaced crocodiles being spotted in human-made environments.

“What’s interesting is that we were seeing more crocodiles across what we call anthropogenic [landscapes] — human landscapes and fragmented landscapes — than natural habitats. So, we’re actually seeing crocodiles more and more in sewage ponds, fish ponds, and canals,” she explained.

Experts speculate that the shift is partly due to the loss of natural habitats and the search for spaces with ample food sources.

“Ideally, we want the population to be in the remaining wetlands that we have on our island, but it could just be down to crocodiles feeling safer in these environments and also just wanting to be close to urban landscapes because of food sources, and free handouts, and nutrient-rich waters,” Picking said.

She warned, however, that with a decline in wetland habitats across Jamaica, more interactions between humans and crocodiles are to be anticipated.

Since 1971, crocodiles have been protected under the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), enforced by the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) Act. This means that no crocodile should be hunted, captured, killed or in any way harassed. It is also illegal to have in your possession, the whole or any part of a crocodile without special permission from NEPA. The penalty for breaching this law is $100,000 or 12 months’ imprisonment. Individuals can also be charged up to $3 million under the Fisheries Act.

“If they catch you with the crocodile, if you cut it up in pieces, they can charge you for each piece, or they can charge you for the eggs,” Whyte clarified.

Recently, the House of Representatives approved amendments to the NRCA Act and the WLPA to significantly increase fines and custodial sentences. Under the new proposed bills, fines for corporate bodies could amount $10 million, while individuals may face up to $5 million in fines or up to five years in prison.

The amendments have also been approved by the Senate.

Picking welcomed the amendments but pointed out that enforcement remains a challenge.

“I think one of the key issues that we face with wildlife protection is enforcement of our wildlife laws, and this takes us one step closer to making the laws a bit stricter.

“What we really need to put in place now is just ensuring that we can successfully prosecute people under the Wildlife Protection Act…Unfortunately, it is really challenging sometimes to investigate these types of crimes, not just because of the lack of resources or willpower or manpower, but also because of how the court system works, and [in] a lot of these cases [we] will get the video evidence or the camera evidence, but we can’t actually use it in a court of law unless the person who took that footage testifies. So there are challenges when it comes to that,” she explained.

Whyte questioned whether higher fines would have a real impact without improved enforcement.

“Let me put it this way — and I’ll look at what happened with the motor vehicles. The other day we increased the fines, has it stopped the crazy driving on the road? No. Is it a deterrent? It could be a deterrent, but if you don’t have the enforcement — one of the big things in Jamaica now, we have the laws, but the enforcement?” he said.

He emphasised the importance of a proactive education campaign and enforcement of the current law, saying, “If you don’t have something out there telling people, ‘Hey, this is bad’, and I don’t mean the pamphlet, but a creative programme like that where people will listen, and you put [in] dedication — this is why we have this, this is why it’s important, this is why, and then you have the other part now where you boost the enforcement. You don’t want to listen? You have to feel.”

Whyte also pointed to the need to adapt laws to address evolving technology, making it easier to prosecute people committing illegal activities captured and shared via social media videos.

“We have to find a way to step up to the table in terms of dealing with how technology changes. So somebody come on TikTok and show you what they’re doing, what law is out there to cover that? Because you’re going to hear if you don’t have the person who take the video [you can’t prosecute the offender],” he added.

According to Alex Simpson, assistant science officer and lead enforcement officer for the Caribbean-Coastal Area Management (CCAM), fishermen are often at the centre of the illegal activities.

He related an incident in which he received reports of a crocodile sighting, but when he arrived at the scene all that remained of the animal was a single tooth,

“It’s fishermen, those who are within habitats that crocodiles are, they know where the animals are so they are the easiest ones to find, capture and kill it, and then they sell it to other persons — restaurants, cookshops — because there is a high demand for the meat; and then the price for it also assists with driving the industry,” Simpson said.

“You can imagine a local fisherman coming home from sea, probably didn’t have a successful catch that day, and he comes across a crocodile and he knows for a fact that if he kills this animal and sells it to somebody he can get $300,000 for it?”

Simpson stressed that preservation of the species needs significant improvement, even as he acknowledged the lack of resources and the small number of people actively working to protect crocodiles.

“Conservation efforts could be much, much better. Challenges, again, are resources, so the persons interested in the protection of the species, not many of us are in this industry, as well as being able to enforce the laws which protect the species,” he said.

But for Simpson, one of the key steps in reducing poaching is debunking the myth that consuming crocodile meat or eggs improves the male libido.

“It does not. There is no scientific evidence to prove or to support that the consumption of crocodile or egg assists with male sex drive,” he said.

Commenting on whether Jamaicans care about the environment, in particular about an endangered species that is on our Coat of Arms and, therefore, part of who we are as a people, Picking had mixed feelings.

“I think it varies islandwide but I think, overall, we do have a slight disconnect to our environment. When I visited other countries in this region I see that there is this act of environmental stewardship, where there seems to be more care and concern about the environment. Not to say Jamaica isn’t like this, but I think a lot of the times the environment and wildlife are secondary issues because we have our socio-economic challenges that we’re always trying to improve. But I think the important thing is to show people how a healthy environment really does benefit us. It benefits our mental and physical well-being; it benefits our livelihoods, our economy, and also just our island on a whole, and so everything is interconnected,” Picking shared.

Whyte believes Jamaicans do care about animals.

“I’m active on social media where I bring awareness to the importance of the protection of a number of species that we have, because I found out that a number of people don’t know what we have. So, from I have started, there have been changes. First time a lizard or a Galliwasp might pass the border and people chop him up, or an owl, and they stone it…I find now a number of people calling and reporting. So I do think that Jamaicans care about animals. It is going up,” Whyte said.

Next week big threat to another endangered species.