Auction of domestic crocodiles will be held in Namibia

The government is going to resettle 40 reptiles. an attempt to stop them from attacking people and livestock.

The government of the South African country has said it wants to relocate 40 reptiles from areas where a growing crocodile population means they encounter humans.

Potential owners have almost a month to submit sealed applications to the country's Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Bidders will have to convince officials that they can provide a suitable home, and will also have to pay extra for the cost of fishing. animals and any necessary testing or storage.

The ministry did not respond to questions about who is expected to buy the animals or how many offers it has already received.

The announcement says the offers with the price per animal must be placed in sealed envelopes in a box at the ministry's headquarters in Windhoek by 4:30 pm on 17 July. restoring wildlife through successful conservation efforts.

However, the increase in animal numbers has brought wild species into conflict with humans, especially in the northeast, leading to attacks on humans or their farm animals.

Namibia has paid around £100,000 in compensation for crocodile attacks over the past four years, including around £70,000 to relatives of people killed by these animals.

A government statement said: “The sale of crocodiles is prohibited. designed to minimize these incidents as well as mitigate the impact of crocodile conflicts on communities.”

According to the scheme, anyone wishing to export a crocodile must ensure they have the correct permits and all buyers must show that they have «suitable habitats» for the animals.

Critics of the scheme wonder if transferring just 40 animals when there are estimated to be thousands in the country will have any impact.

> «This is a joke… there will be no impact»

Paulus Mbangu, a council member in Rundu's northeast constituency, said there were an estimated 11,000 reptiles living in the country's northeast rivers.

“It's a joke because there will be no impact. Crocodile attacks will continue. I prefer the ministry to auction 6,000 crocodiles,” he told a Namibian newspaper.

He said the crocodiles were depleting the fish in the rivers and the government should raise crocodile ranches so that farmers could generate income from them .

Damian Magambayi, another member of the local council, welcomed the government's intervention but hoped the auction would rise.

He said: «They started with 40 and we hope that number will increase in the future.»

The government is expected to hold similar auctions again, and also said he is considering increasing the number of crocodile hunting permits issued to reduce their number. The number of permits could double, according to the Environment Minister.

Nile crocodile species, found in Namibia and across Africa, typically reach about 10 feet in length, but the largest specimens can be twice as large.

They are believed to attack many people in Africa each year, although the numbers are mixed as many incidents occur in remote rural areas. One attack database estimates that the species killed at least 48 people in Africa in 2019 alone. About half of the attacks are fatal.