By DayakDaily Team
MIRI, Aug 24: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is offering licences to collect crocodile eggs as part of its approach to managing the reptile population in a controlled and sustainable manner.
In a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas) report, SFC Wildlife Officer from the Crocodile Management Section, Dr Mohd Izwan Zulaini Abdul Gani, said the initiative was introduced two years ago, with several licences having since been issued, although take-up remained low.
He said SFC was prepared to work with licence holders to collect crocodile eggs from the wild, particularly in areas where the reptiles could pose a risk to human safety.
“Apart from hunting licences, we have licences for collecting crocodile eggs, which many people may still be unaware of.
“There have been several applications and licences issued, but the response remains low,” he said during a briefing at the first 2026 Inter-Agency Special Task Force Meeting on Human-Crocodile Conflict Management at the Miri Resident’s Office recently.
He said SFC recently received a report about a crocodile nest found at an oil palm plantation in Miri.
“As there was no licence holder available to collect the eggs, SFC took action to remove them from the area to reduce the risk to plantation workers and nearby residents.
“When there is a nest, a female crocodile is usually nearby, and this can pose a danger,” he explained.
He said Miri previously had at least one licensed crocodile egg collector who worked with SFC to remove eggs from the wild.
On crocodile breeding, Mohd Izwan, who has nearly 15 years of experience in reptile management, said the largest number of eggs he had encountered in a crocodile nest in Sarawak was about 70.
While there were claims that a crocodile could lay up to 100 eggs, he said field observations indicated that the maximum was estimated at around 80 eggs.
He said understanding crocodile breeding patterns was important in helping SFC determine appropriate population management methods, including licensed egg collection in certain areas. — DayakDaily
