‘Gross negligence’

A statement from the National Water Commission (NWC) is being met with scepticism and frustration from crocodile conservationists, following the death of at least 10 of the protected species at the Greater Portmore Sewage Ponds in St Catherine – an incident now under government investigation.

Last week, disturbing images surfaced showing the dried remains of two adult crocodiles – one a female carrying as many as 30 eggs – along with two juveniles, their bodies mired in cracked mud and overgrown vegetation.

Experts say the animals died slowly from starvation, dehydration, and heat exhaustion after being trapped in the dried-out ponds for several weeks.

This grim reality appeared to contradict the NWC’s statement that the ponds were routinely monitored and that all crocodiles were safely removed before the section was drained for repairs.

“At the time of emptying the ponds, all crocodiles were safely removed, and subsequent follow-up checks confirmed none were present. This regrettable incident occurred despite ongoing joint monitoring efforts. Preliminary assessments indicate that the animals accessed the dry pond area and were subsequently unable to exit,” the state entity said in a release last week.

However, the release failed to indicate the duration of the pond’s closure or clarify who carried out the removal and how it was done – key details conservationists say are critical and noticeably missing.

Joey Brown, general curator at Hope Zoo and an expert in crocodile ecology and conservation, strongly disputed the NWC’s version of events.

“To my knowledge, no crocs have ever been moved out of there. We have done regular surveys to count the crocodiles and there have always been animals residing in those ponds,” charged Brown, who holds a master’s degree in crocodile ecology and conservation.

“Whenever it comes to any situation – croc rescue or monitoring – I assist them with all that stuff as well ... . I had no knowledge that any of that was going on. It was all terrible, but that picture of the male and the pregnant female was heartbreaking,” he said, noting that he visited the site twice last week with representatives from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), who were also unaware of previous relocation efforts.

Brown believes there may still be the remains of other dead animals in bushes that have overgrown sections of the dried ponds.

“I’m trying to seek clarity on who ‘removed’ these crocodiles before the ponds were emptied,” charged Treya Picking, another crocodile conservationist, responding to the NWC’s statement.

Picking, who considers crocodiles as ecosystem engineers charged with keeping the island’s mangroves safe, fears that such incidents could recur as developments boom in areas like St Catherine.

“So a lot of sewage pond facilities will straight away fight back on crocs being present, but it’s quite impossible to exclude them from the facility if you don’t build a certain type of fence, which is costly to maintain. What occurred on Tuesday is something that should have never happened,” she said, and, like her colleagues, called for proper security and maintenance of the facility.

Crocodiles have been classified as an endangered and protected species in Jamaica since 1971.

Under Section 20 of the Wildlife Protection Act, it is considered an offence to harm the reptiles can result in fines of up to $100,000 or 12 months in prison. It remains unclear whether there will be any sanctions arising from this incident.

At the Holland Crocodile Sanctuary in rural St Andrew, founder Lawrence Henriques did not hold back his anger, calling the incident “gross negligence”.

Henriques, who breeds crocodiles and releases them to boost Jamaica’s dwindling wild population, said the deaths made him feel like his work was being undone.

“It’s gross negligence. NWC. They are not maintaining the ponds properly. You have a large urban area around it, and you are building more, Shooters Hill and other developments, and you don’t have your sewage treatment ponds working properly? And so the animals end up dying,” charged Henriques. “It means that I am wasting my time, my resources. Because nobody is looking at the big picture. Nobody wants to sit down and solve a problem, and that is the problem in this country. I think in Jamaica, we just like having problems that we say we are going to solve.”

corey.robinson@gleanerjm.com