MATTHEW Samuda, the Government minister with responsibility for the environment, is scheduled to visit the Greater Portmore sewage ponds today as part of an urgent multi-agency investigation he ordered early on Friday into the deaths of 10 crocodiles at the facility.

“It is an absolutely heartbreaking situation. I have ordered an investigation, and when that investigation is conducted, all results will be made public. I do intend to tour the area over the next 36 hours to see what infrastructure is required to either keep wildlife out of the drain ponds or to ensure that they’re able, if they do get caught in there, to escape,” Samuda said in a news release Friday in response to the Jamaica Observer’s report on the matter.

The 10 crocodiles — eight adults, one of them pregnant, and two juveniles — were found dead in two barren sewage ponds operated by the National Water Commission (NWC).

Six of the crocodiles were found on April 22, Earth Day, while the remainder were found on Thursday when Hope Zoo General Curator Joey Brown and environmental officers returned to the ponds to do a thorough check.

Brown told the Observer that the authorities were first alerted about the crocodiles by a resident on Tuesday.

“A local resident had been just passing by and I think just saw two crocs — one of them was alive, one was dead — so he called NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency) and then we organised to get down there. Once we got there, we found a horror scene of several other dead crocodiles,” Brown said.

According to Brown, the team was able to rescue an adult male crocodile, about 12 feet in length, from one of the ponds.

“He was stuck in the pond; he looked nearly dead, and we were able to pull him out and immediately put him in one of the nearby ponds with water, but I hope he can make it,” said Brown, who shared that he has “worked with crocs all my life”.

Brown said the animals died from dehydration.

“Crocodiles are very strong and hardy. They can easily go weeks, if not months, without food but being without water, and then down there in those ponds there’s no shelter, no shade, you’re totally kind of like exposed to the sun,” he told the Observer.

“So, it probably happened over a couple weeks where they’re not only starving, but they had no water. They were really dehydrated… because all the crocs were emaciated and, like, kind of malnourished, but it would have been the dehydration that would have killed them because there was just no water whatsoever… You could tell [because] they were all found around the edges of the ponds, and you can see their scratch marks and their claw marks where they were trying to climb out,” Brown explained.

“It would have been brutal… very agonising, and it wouldn’t have been anything instant,” he said.

On Thursday Brown said he could not say for certain what caused the loss of water from the sewage ponds, and up to press time Friday the NWC had not explained how the ponds became dry, despite a spokesman telling the Observer on Thursday that a statement was being prepared on the matter.

On Friday, Samuda said he will be joined on today’s visit by the relevant experts from NEPA, the Forestry Department, NWC, and wildlife protection officers.

“Any necessary infrastructure required to either protect wildlife in that space or to ensure that they’re able to exit will be procured on an emergency basis to prevent reocurrence,” he said.

Samuda said the Government views the incident with the utmost seriousness and remains committed to transparency, swift action, and environmental stewardship.

“As investigations progress every effort will be made to implement sustainable solutions that protect the country’s wildlife and preserve the integrity of our natural ecosystems,” he said.

Meanwhile, Opposition spokeswoman on environment and ecological heritage Senator Sophia Frazer-Binns called for an immediate investigation of the matter by NEPA.

“These ponds have long served as a refuge for crocodiles, who have lost much of their natural wetland habitat to urban development,” Frazer-Binns said in a news release. “This incident raises serious questions about the management of the area, and I am calling for a thorough investigation, not only to determine what went wrong but to establish whether there was any breakdown in mechanical or other systems and processes.”

She also called for the results of the investigation to be made public, saying, “It is important that the findings be shared so we can understand exactly what caused this and how it can be prevented in the future.”

This adult crocodile was found dead at a barren sewage pond operated by the National Water Commission in Greater Portmore, St Catherine on Thursday afternoon. A total of 10 crocodiles died from dehydration in the dry ponds. (Photo: Joey Brown)

One of two dry sewage ponds in Greater Portmore, St Catherine, where 10 crocodiles perished. The ponds are operated by National Water Commission. (Photo: Joey Brown)