A National Parks inspector denounced that 11 men, using machetes (cane knives), axes, daggers and sticks cut up an unknowing crocodile in Mella, in the southwestern Independencia province. Janeiro Martínez said that he begged the men to desist, but he could not convince them. He said since he was unarmed, he could not stop the men. The men had found the crocodile peacefully resting in the waters of Gancho Machaca canal that connects through Cristóbal Canal with the Enriquillo Lake, original home of the American Crocodile, a protected species in the DR. The head of the crocodile measures 39 centimeters, so the crocodile is estimated to have been eight to ten years old. Andreas Schubert, of the National Parks Department, said that groups of crocodiles have been migrating from Enriquillo Lake to Cabral Lagoon, a 40 kilometer distance. To make the crossing, the crocodiles are using the irrigation canals in the area. The residents of nearby towns are concerned for their safety. Some eight crocodiles have been sighted. He explained, "It is useless that we round up the crocodiles and bring them back to the Enriquillo Lake. They will make their way across again. What we have to do is educate the people living in adjacent communities so they accept the crocodiles as part of the environment. The people need to learn to live with the crocodiles." He said that the National Parks Department will immediately organize a series of encounters with the communities to this end. He said that the crocodiles will not attack humans unless they are threatened. Nevertheless, he said that they should not be taken for granted and care should be taken in their presence. In 1995, a farm worker in Neiba, also in the Southwest, spent three months in jail for having killed a crocodile, a protected species.
