THE horrifying sight of a dead, tailless crocodile strewn on rocks under a bridge in Hellshire, St Catherine, greeted people who customarily go to the spot to fish on Wednesday.

“A concerned resident who has been visiting the area for a while told me that he went there Saturday and saw the animal,” conservation biologist at The University of the West Indies (The UWI) Damion Whyte told the
Jamaica Observer Thursday.

“The resident went back there yesterday [Wednesday] to do some fishing near the area, looked to see the crocodile but didn’t see it. The place was smelly and when they looked they saw chicken meat that they figured was used to bait the animal. Its mouth was tied up with rope and the tail chopped off. This is pretty sad,” said Whyte who explained that the bridge is a popular spot for crocodile sightings.

The discovery came two days after the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) expressed great concern about the content of a video showing large stones being thrown at a crocodile.

The agency said its investigation revealed that the attack on the crocodile occurred in a community close to Spanish Town Road in the Corporate Area and reminded the public that “such gruesome and cruel acts as occurred in the video,” breach the Wild Life Protection Act.

An Observer exposé on endangered species in February pointed out that 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.

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

Treya Ann Picking, founder of JAMCROC Initiative, which focuses on crocodile conservation efforts across Jamaica, pointed to anecdotal evidence and reports confirming that crocodile poaching is widespread in the island, 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,” Picking told the Observer.

She said that an islandwide crocodile population survey conducted between 2020 and 2022 and spearheaded by NEPA, in collaboration with The UWI, 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,” Picking said.

The Observer exposé reported that 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,” Picking said.

This misconception, combined with a lack of appreciation for the animal, she explained, 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,” she added.

Last December chief public health inspector for St James Shericka Lewis advised the public to consume only approved meats, after the discovery, on November 25, of a crocodile carcass at a food establishment in Montego Bay.

Public health officials say the find was made during a visit to the food establishment that had previously been ordered closed and was being vetted ahead of being allowed to reopen.

“I just want to remind persons, though we may have exotic tastes and want to consume various types of meats, we want to ensure that these animals are currently approved for slaughter as meat for humans in Jamaica,” Lewis said during a meeting of St James Municipal Corporation.

On Thursday, Whyte said he had no doubt that whoever killed the crocodile in Hellshire and chopped the tail off did so to either consume the meat themselves or sell it.