Tuesday, April 1, 2025

In the absence of people, crocodiles take over Oaxaca beaches

The crocodiles of La Ventanilla, Oaxaca, have taken to the beach for the first time in decades in the absence of human activity during the Covid-19 emergency.

The popular ecotourism destination is home to a lagoon in which the crocodiles normally spend most of their time, avoiding visitors who come from nearby Mazunte, Zipolite, Puerto Escondido and other destinations to snap photos of them from tour boats.

But when the tourists are away, the crocs will play, and a photo of five large reptiles enjoying the otherwise empty beach made the rounds on social media on Sunday.

The federal government closed all Mexico’s beaches in early April to prevent people from gathering in groups and further spreading the coronavirus. Since then there have been a number of observations of wildlife reclaiming spaces they previously avoided due to human presence.

Fishermen and Civil Protection agents from nearby Santa María Colotepec captured a crocodile in a lagoon adjacent to the popular tourist and surfer destination Puerto Escondido in March. The animal was released in wetlands south of that city.

There have also been reports of jaguars and leatherback sea turtles re-entering spaces in Cancún from which human activity had kept them away for decades.

In Oaxaca, crocodiles occasionally enter spaces normally occupied by people. A fisherman was attacked by a crocodile while taking a nap on the Boca Barra beach, just south of Puerto Escondido, in November.

Similar incidents in the lagoons west of Puerto Escondido led the federal environmental protection agency Profepa to carry out a census of the animal’s numbers in the Manialtepec and Chacahua lagoons before the Covid-19 pandemic stopped normal life in its tracks.

The original project, which was suspended due to a lack of resources, aimed to find better ways to protect both humans and crocodiles, as people have encroached more and more into the animal’s habitat in recent years.

Sources: Mediotiempo (sp), Milenio (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
Los Alegres de Barranco band poses with instruments and cowboy hats

US revokes visas of Mexican band who paid homage to cartel boss ‘El Mencho’

5
The band Los Alegres del Barranco is at the center of a heated controversy after paying tribute to notorious drug lord Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera Cervantes during a recent concert.
Kristi Noem and President Trump

Homeland Security Secretary outlines Trump’s ‘wishlist’ for Mexico to sidestep tariffs

12
The list of requests was presented to President Sheinbaum by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who suggested Mexico may still be able to avoid tariffs before Wednesday.
A stack of tortillas with a hand at the top, pulling a couple of tortillas off the stack.

UNAM designs a ‘supertortilla’ to fight malnutrition in Mexico

4
According to federal data, over 18% of Mexicans lack access to quality nutritional food, while obesity and diabetes are prevalent in Mexico.