A 44-year-old woman was killed by a crocodile while working on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, local police confirmed. The attack occurred on Borneo Island, which is known for its crocodile population and frequent human-wildlife conflicts.
The woman and a colleague were working on the plantation when the crocodile chased them, biting the victim on her left hand and dragging her into a ditch. Her colleague attempted to free her from the crocodile’s grip but was unsuccessful and ran to alert the authorities.
"After a 90-minute search, the victim's body was found," said local police chief Bagus Tri Baskoro in a statement on Thursday. Rescuers discovered the woman’s remains still in the crocodile's jaws near the attack site. The reptile released the body as rescuers approached.
Borneo, shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, is home to diverse wildlife but faces significant habitat loss due to palm oil plantations and logging activities. Such encroachment has been linked to increased human-crocodile conflicts.
This is the latest in a series of fatal crocodile attacks in Indonesia. In August, a 54-year-old woman was killed by a crocodile while bathing in a river in the Maluku Islands. In 2018, a mob in Papua killed nearly 300 crocodiles in retaliation after a local man was fatally attacked.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between human activities and wildlife in regions undergoing environmental strain.