- On Jan. 13, several hours of extreme rain over Indonesia’s Batam archipelago, a one-hour ferry from Singapore, caused a breach in the perimeter of a large saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) farm on the east of Bulan Island.
- More than 100 of the stir-crazy predators reportedly escaped in the storm, causing panic among the population while halting local fishing activities.
- Elected representatives in Batam have since called for the farm to be closed, citing tax irregularities.
- The global supply of reptile skins remains concentrated in northern Australia for the fashion industry, which claims to operate high animal welfare standards despite allegations of extensive suffering on farms.
BATAM, Indonesia — Stress levels among the population of Batam reportedly spiked in January after extreme rainfall over a saltwater crocodile farm allowed more than 100 captive predators to explore the local area for the first time.
“There were a few things that we have passed along, such as that the company should take responsibility,” said Tommy Sinambela, an official with the state conservation agency.
Meteorological data showed a powerful localized storm formed over Singkep Island Jan. 12, which then moved northward over Batam on Jan. 13, with three-hour precipitation, a common measure of rainfall, peaking at more than 100 millimeters (3.9 inches].
Local officials said the rainfall damaged the perimeter of a crocodile farm located on Bulan Island, across a narrow strait from densely populated Batam.
Batam, an hourlong ferry from Singapore, is both an important manufacturing hub and tourism destination accounting for around 2 million visits to Indonesia per year.
Elected representatives in Batam have since called for the farm operated by PT Perkasa Jagat Karunia to be closed and provide compensation after panicked local fishers worked to recapture escapees for free.
The speaker of the regional assembly, Iman Setiawan, told The Jakarta Post newspaper in early February that the company had paid no tax to the regional government in 36 years of operation.
“To date, there haven’t been any criminal penalties imposed on the company because there haven’t been any fatalities,” said Bulang subdistrict’s chief of police, Iptu Adyanto Syofyan.
Economy of scale
Fashion industry demand for crocodile, snake and lizard skins emerged at the beginning of the 20th century in Java and parts of South America. The trade then became more established in the 1920s, and millions of reptiles around the world were hunted for skin.
Adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1975 enacted restrictions for the first time to curb killings of subspecies pushed to the brink of extinction.
In northern Australia, the world’s largest crocodile supplier, the licensed trade in saltwater crocodile skin is estimated to be worth around $75 million annually. Market research firms have determined the global industry could be worth more than $1 billion owing to the premium paid by retail customers.
The fashion industry prizes saltwater crocodiles for their intricately patterned skin. Farmers typically house individual crocodiles in narrow pens to prevent them from moving, which risks damaging the precious skin pattern.
Behavioral research has sought to determine the extent to which reptiles can experience feelings like despair and frustration, a notoriously difficult area of study.
In the wild, saltwater crocodiles often travel several miles daily and live to the age of around 70.
In 2021, the Australian charity Farm Transparency Project obtained video footage of crocodiles kept in narrow concrete pens at four crocodile farms in Australia’s Northern Territory state.
The animals at the farms are kept isolated and unable to move, according to the nonprofit. At 2 or 3 years old, they are stunned with electricity, partially beheaded and a piece of metal is inserted into the open nape to scramble their brains.
Video footage obtained by the group showed young crocodiles writhing long after the culmination of this procedure.
Multiple farms in the state were established by French accessories brand Hermès, supplier of bags costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to celebrated humanitarians like Imelda Marcos and Rosmah Mansor.
Snap chat
At the time of writing, military and police teams aided by volunteer Bulan Island fishers had recaptured around 38 estuarine crocodiles from various waterways.
Provincial parliament speaker Imam Setiawan said the farm was claiming to have recaptured 66 more of the crocodiles, but, “Frankly speaking, we don’t believe it,” he said, as quoted by local media. “We want the company to keep searching for the remaining crocodiles and to verify the total number of escaped and captured reptiles.”
Many local people reported anger toward PT Perkasa Jagat Karunia owing to disruption to the rabbitfish season, which local fishers rely on to support their families.
“Just being active on the coast of the island has been a worry,” said Muhammad Sapet, who leads an association of local fishers on Buluh Island. “Who can control our children — what if there are victims?”
Early comments by officials indicated government viewed the escape as an accident.
“The fence had three layers — zinc fences and concrete walls,” the conservation agency’s Tommy said. “Captivity is like this everywhere; they’ve met the standards, and it broke because of the rain.”
Tommy added that the company should be liable to compensate local fishers for lost income.
Risks of unusual weather-related incidents, such as the mass escape of more than 100 predators into human settlements, may increase as the climate changes.
Singapore’s National Climate Change Secretariat, which reports to the country’s prime minister, notes that “annual rainfall total for Singapore has been gradually increasing at a rate of 83 millimeters [3.3 inches] per decade from 1980 to 2022.”
“It’s the rabbitfish season now and their price is increasing,” said Aweng Kurniawan, deputy of the Batam regional assembly. “Fishers can’t go to sea and earn a living, support their children and wives — it’s fortunate there haven’t been any victims.”
Tommy said he could not comment on the future of the crocodile farm. “The permission is from the minister,” he said via text message. “I can’t answer.”
Banner image: A fisher displays a captured crocodiles in Batam. Image by Yogi Eka Sahputra/Mongabay Indonesia.
This story was first published here in Indonesian on Feb. 4.
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