Residents of Chabihau warn tourists about the presence of crocodiles

“There are crocodiles and people are unaware of it, they think it’s a game they are being told. There are no signs and many visitors go into the mouth to bathe and that is not right,” said some residents.

It is important to remember that in the last few days the reptiles have been seen in the waterways, so the locals say that visitors expose themselves in these areas where they gather, either to fish or to take a dip, mainly on weekends.

José Pech commented: “Due to the rising sea level, the reptiles tend to leave their habitat, approaching the areas where people often stay. When there is a flood, the reptiles remain in the area for several hours in search of food. There are crocodiles here in the mouth of the estuary and many of those that are here do not know it, even though there is a beach nearby, visitors see the water in the estuary as more beautiful and prefer to enter without knowing what they are exposed to”.

The interviewees emphasized that after it was reported that a crocodile attacked a person in the port of Dzilam de Bravo, they are trying to prevent this from happening in Chabihau. They also recalled that last year, they were the ones who approached tourists to urge them not to enter the water because of the presence of the saurians that had come out due to the increase in water in the estuary: “We go fishing and passing the estuary we see that there is one or another crocodile, people are told. It’s nice, they are animals, but you can see them from the top of the bridge while they are fishing“.

In the last few weeks, several visitors have captured crocodiles at the mouth of the estuary, where they have observed them from a few meters away without any problem, managing to capture them through their video cameras or cell phones, and take them as souvenirs: “These animals are the attraction here, but it can be dangerous if the visitors are not informed. They can’t swim everywhere, especially because there is wildlife”. Roxana and José took this opportunity to urge people who decide to visit this port not to enter or bathe in the area of the mouth of the harbor due to the presence of these reptiles, and thus avoid accidents as happens every season: “Come and visit us, but do not enter the mouth of the harbor to bathe, there is sea. The authorities should put signs in the area to alert visitors,” they concluded.

TYT Newsroom