By Rathindra Kuruwita

There was evidence that the person who was killed by a crocodile recently had got too close to the animal, environmentalist Nayanaka Ranwella said. He added that crocodiles had the ability to kill a human easily and people had to be vigilant. “A number of crocodiles that live in the canals of Dehiwala and Wellawatta travel to the sea. I think probably every night. Those who live in Bolgoda Lake also travel to the sea from Panadura and Wadduwa. Sometimes when there is a heavy flow in the canals, freshwater fish are dragged to the sea and large fish that live in the ocean come to eat them, crocodiles swim around the estuaries to prey on the large sea fish,” he said.

Ranwella said that while many Sri Lankans were surprised by the existence of crocodiles in the sea, it was a common occurrence. Saltwater crocodiles, known as Geta Kimbula, did see humans as prey and had the capacity to kill a human easily, he said. On the other hand, Hela kimbula or the mugger, was very unlikely to attack humans, Ranwella said.

“These animals, too, have a comfort zone and if you get too close them, you run the risk of being attacked. We must not forget that these animals can attack us and kill us. We must be very careful when dealing with wild animals,” he said.

Others, however, said that no one in his right senses would approach a crocodile voluntarily. Most probably the particular victim would have been attacked as he like lots of other freelance divers, went to shallow depths off the coast to catch lobsters to supply star class hotels and earn a good living.