Regions Brief: August 16, 2019

Boy killed in crocodile attack in Palawan town

A boy was killed after being snatched from a boat by a saltwater crocodile in Balabac town in Palawan province, as the reptiles’ shrinking habitat leads to repeated attacks, authorities said on Wednesday. The 10-year-old was on board with his two older siblings near the town of Balabac, which is notorious for confrontations with the massive creatures, when he was yanked into the water. His father failed to find the boy after an overnight search, but a fisherman discovered the child’s remains late on Monday in a mangrove swamp, a police report said. “Since 2015, we’ve never had a year with zero [crocodile] attacks” in Balabac, said Jovic Pabello, spokesperson for a government council that works to conserve the environment of Palawan. “It’s a conflict on water use,” he added. In February, a crocodile grabbed a 12-year-old boy as he swam in a Balabac river, but he escaped when his siblings hit the reptile’s head with oars until it let him go, Pabello said. —AFP