Heavy rains and strong river currents dragged a crocodile from its natural habitat to the beaches of Puerto Vallarta this week, where it roamed for almost a day before it was captured.
The director of the Animal Control Center of Puerto Vallarta told the newspaper Reforma that there had been rumors that as many as three crocodiles had been sighted “but there was just the one.”
“The animal was tired; it was moving around but it doesn’t like seawater, the currents tire it out,” said Armando Rubio.
Animal control staff and the fire department monitored the crocodile’s beach activities, waiting for an ideal moment to catch it.
Measuring 2.5 meters long, the croc was transported to animal control headquarters, where its health was to be assessed. The animal will also be tagged in order to monitor its whereabouts before it is transported back to its upriver territory.
Another crocodile appeared in the resort city this week but it was dead and had been left hanging in a tree along with a message threatening officials that more would be killed if the animals weren’t controlled.
Rubio explained that the incident is still under investigation.
He said there have been 20 reported cases of crocodiles attacking people since 2006 and three of the victims died.
“That figure is really low if we compare it with scorpion stings, of which there are 60,000 cases. People are really demonizing [crocodiles].”
Rubio added that in 95% of the crocodile attack cases, the animal lashed out when it felt threatened.
The mobility of crocodiles increases during the rainy season, a situation worsened by the encroachment on the species’ habitat by humans, he said.
