Durban - There could be more crocodiles in lagoons around Durban than meet the eye.
“But they are very secretive creatures. The chances are that if one was seen somewhere there would likely be more in that place,” reptile expert Neville Wolmarans told The Independent on Saturday after a recent sighting of a 1.4m Nile crocodile in the Tongati lagoon, reported by eMdloti resident Shivani Moodley.
Lagoons along the coast were attractive to creatures like this one, and for a variety of reasons, said Womarans.
Any young men who have issues with their father’s generation can be grateful they are from the Hominidae family in their house on dry land and not from the Crocodylidae, down in the river.
Young male crocs often head for lagoons to escape being meals for larger male crocs upriver. Daughters are off the hook, given that they have more of a role in keeping the species going.
“They are trying to avoid the 3m crocs upstream. When smaller crocs are under pressure, they venture out and are seen in areas where they are normally not seen,” said Wolmarans.
He said lagoons could also be an attraction because sugar cane monocultures upstream have caused an environment of reduced biodiversity and therefore less food.
Wolmarans said the Thukela River was a major breeding area for crocodiles and floods could sweep crocodiles into the sea.
“They can then go up and down the coast and end up in a lagoon.”
He said he doubted crocodile numbers had changed in spite of more frequently reported sightings. Wolmarans said drones and microlight aircraft may have given people more opportunities to spot them.
There was another reported sighting over the weekend in the courtyard of a Pietermaritzburg home.
Durban reptile catcher Nick Evans said he was aware of the Tongati River crocodile. “I have been to see it from the M4,” he said, adding rumour had it there were two there. It’s not big and it will grow slowly. It’s also in a place where you never really see people.”
He said people should nonetheless not go swimming there. “But crocs are scared of people.”
On the South Coast, James Wittstock, acting centre manager at Crocworld Conservation Centre, said it was hard to say what was behind the increased sighting of crocodiles over the last few months.
“My opinion is that the crocodile numbers have not increased, rather the crocs have been pushed further down the rivers and streams to more populated areas and in turn are being seen more often.
“During April 2019 there was severe flooding in and around Durban which I believe washed a large number of smaller crocs, one to two metres in size, down the various rivers towards the ocean and into the popular dams.
“The larger crocs are often capable of fighting stronger currents during these heavy rains and generally would be able to stay upstream, whereas the smaller crocs don’t have the strength to do so.”
He said once crocodiles were downstream it took a lot of energy and strength to fight the flow of the rivers and get back upstream.
“So these smaller crocs seem to be staying downstream and inhabiting these areas. If the areas boast ample basking area, suitable temperatures, food sources and water sources, the crocs are able to survive.”
Wittstock said the recent escape of crocodiles from a commercial farm in the Western Cape was a rarity.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s Musa Mntambo said heavy rains contributed to increased sightings of crocodiles.
“The communities in the iNgwavuma and Jozini areas of northern KwaZulu-Natal have had a number of crocodiles sightings recently after the heavy rains.”
The Independent on Saturday