<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nearly seven months after a crocodile attack almost took her life, Munirpa walked to the estuary outside her home with her husband and her children, ready to brave a reenactment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Munirpa, who like many Indonesians only uses one name, recounted how one early morning in August, she threw her household garbage into a creek about 50 metres away from her house, as she normally would.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She didn't see what was coming next.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/voice-of-america-channels-fall-silent-as-trump-administration-guts-agency-and-cancels-contracts/6cd17295-b23c-4c03-a0e7-41f156ca1f63" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump silences Voice of America, 1300 employees put on leave</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>By the time she realised a crocodile had attacked her, the four-metre-long beast had already sunk its teeth into most of her body, sparing only her head.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>She fought hard, trying to jab its eyes. Her husband, hearing her screams, ran over and tried to pull her by the thigh out of the crocodile's jaws.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A tug-of-war ensued; the reptile whipped him with its tail. Fortunately, he saved Munirpa in time, eventually dragging her out of the crocodile's grip.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/crocodile-attacks-in-indonesia-are-on-the-rise-its-left-residents-on-edge/219c32e8-a096-444b-8d29-b56ec41c79eb" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/four-day-work-week-greens-push-for-reduced-working-hours-in-australia-election-policy/1eb73daf-b407-48b7-999e-5c2ca74e1ba1" target="_blank"><strong><span>Election push for permanent four-day work week</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2025/03/17/12/35/wild-weather-usa-tornado-tears-through-tyler-town-mississippi"><img alt="" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/2RAcm3T-rWFTuyDFr1hGj4vA_FI=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F2dffb87a-f0c6-4d4e-9146-c86a87e68604" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/2RAcm3T-rWFTuyDFr1hGj4vA_FI=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F2dffb87a-f0c6-4d4e-9146-c86a87e68604 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/HF43XFY_6eGzyQHJTua9OceKR60=/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F2dffb87a-f0c6-4d4e-9146-c86a87e68604 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">In Pictures: Dozens killed as tornadoes, fires and dust storms rip through US</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2025/03/17/12/35/wild-weather-usa-tornado-tears-through-tyler-town-mississippi">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>People have long feared the ancient predators in the Central Mamuju district of Indonesia’s West Sulawesi, where the Budong-Budong River meets the sea.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For Munirpa, 48, that fear turned into a brutal reality when she became one of nearly 180 recorded crocodile attack victims in Indonesia last year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Residents like her are learning to coexist with the crocodiles, a legally protected species in Indonesia, as they balance conservation with looking out for their safety.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But as attacks rise, several residents and experts have called for better government interventions to stop the problem from getting even worse.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australian-federal-police-operation-police-seize-millions-in-art-yacht-and-jewellery-crime-syndicate-bust/65ca2cec-31ba-4131-af17-90af2d47ab32" target="_blank"><strong><span>Police seize $800k yacht, Rolex watches and art in organised crime bust</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Communities near the crocodiles are on edge</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Following the attack, Munirpa was hospitalized for a month and has had two surgeries. By February this year, her fear was still clearly visible, as were the scars on her legs and thighs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“I am so scared. I don’t want to go to the beach. Even to the back of the house, I don’t dare to go," said Munirpa. “I am traumatized. I asked my children not to go to the river, or to the backyard, or go fishing."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the villages surrounding the Budong-Budong River, like Munirpa's, crocodiles have become a daily topic of conversation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/north-macedonia-nightclub-fire-dozens-killed-in-massive-fire-in-kocani/f10d5a4a-0263-4861-92c0-e2e028045d77" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>'I don't need my life anymore': Nation rocked by worst tragedy in memory</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Their presence has become so common that warning signs now mark the areas where they lurk, from the river mouth to the waterways which were once a popular swimming spot for children.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In 2024, there were 179 crocodile attacks in Indonesia, the highest number of crocodile attacks in the world, with 92 fatalities, according to CrocAttack, an independent database. Social media videos showing crocodile appearances and attacks in Sulawesi and other regions in Indonesia are also on the rise.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The increase in attacks began about 12 years ago with the rise of palm oil plantations around the river mouth, said 39-year-old crocodile handler Rusli Paraili.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/el-salvador-new-terrorist-prison-opens-human-rights-criticisms-first-prisoners-arrive/ff983c9c-1b3e-450e-b975-046838dc1c22" target="_blank"><strong><span>Inside the brutal foreign prison where Trump is sending 'criminals'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some companies carved artificial waterways, linking them to the larger part of the Budong-Budong River. That was when the crocodiles started straying, leaving the river and creeping to nearby residential areas, such as fish and shrimp ponds, he explained.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Palm oil plantations now dominate the landscape in West Sulawesi, from the mountains to the coast, and patrolling for crocodiles has become part of people's daily routine.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When residents check the water pumps in their ponds, they have no choice but to keep out an eye for the beasts — flashlights in hand, scouring up, down and across canals and waterways — resigned to the uneasy reality of sharing their home with a predator.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-crash-menai-father-flees/f6b0098e-ebab-4bc8-9dcc-4fc9e77a6be7" target="_blank"><strong><span>Search for dad who rolled his ute, extracted kids and fled</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Balancing conservation and safety</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The saltwater crocodile has been a legally protected species in Indonesia since 1999, making it an animal that cannot be hunted freely. As a top predator, there is also no population control in nature.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Paraili, the crocodile handler, said that while the law protects crocodiles from being killed, the rise in attacks is a major concern. In response, he's taken care of some of the crocs in a specially-designed farm away from human populations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He's received some financial support from the government and community donations, as well as support from palm oil companies for the last five years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The farm has four ponds and around 50 reptiles. Some have names: Tanker, the largest, shaped like a ship, or Karossa, named after the sub-district the animal was caught after fatally attacking someone.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/federal-budget-2025-ex-tropical-cyclone-alfred-blows-12-billion-hole-in-upcoming-federal-budget/7186c977-500f-4696-8117-b3e3980301ab"><strong><span>Ex-Cyclone Alfred blows $1.2 billion hole in upcoming federal budget</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When funds run low, he uses his own money to ensure they’re fed, at least once every four days.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Amir Hamidy, who studies reptiles at the National Research and Innovation Agency, worries the rise in attacks indicates that crocodile numbers are becoming far too dangerous. Hamidy supports better population control.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Being a protected species “does not necessarily mean that the population cannot be reduced when it is at a level that is indeed unsafe," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/woolly-mammoth-resurrection-project-gene-editing-breakthrough-colossal-woolly-mouse/a1719a4d-8d58-4052-9f76-1d5e90c7a40c"><strong><span>These 'woolly mice' could signal extinction is 'a thing of the past'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Improving protection for residents</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Around a year ago in Tumbu village, Suardi, who goes by one name, was harvesting coconuts when they fell into the river. When he went to retrieve them, he was attacked by a crocodile he initially didn't notice. He's since made a full recovery.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Still, the experience has made him more cautious. “Yes, I am worried. But what else can we do," Suardi said. “The important thing is that we are careful enough.”</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Along with Munirpa, Suardi is one of 10 people in the region who was attacked by a crocodile last year. Three of those attacked were killed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/starbucks-ordered-to-pay-79-million-to-delivery-driver-burned-by-hot-beverage/2c8a90d0-96df-419d-83be-b3cd55f91de5"><strong><span>Starbucks ordered to pay $79m to delivery driver burned by hot drink</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Suyuti Marzuki, who's head of West Sulawesi Marine and Fisheries Agency, said the crocodile habitat shift is making people's everyday activities — like harvesting coconuts, fishing or even disposing of garbage like Munirpa — very risky.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Marzuki said the government is looking at possible options that can provide both safety and economic alternatives for residents.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While he acknowledged that crocodile population numbers and ecosystems need to be protected, Marzuki also raised the possibility of bolstering the local economy through the crocodile skin trade. That industry is controversial because of conservation and animal welfare issues.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Paraili, the crocodile handler, also urged serious government interventions.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"This is a matter of human lives. So when the government is not serious, then our brothers and sisters in the future — in five or 15 years — there will be even more who will die from being attacked by crocodiles,” he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Residents like Munirpa and Suardi are waiting for more immediate and realistic steps from the authorities to ensure their community's and families' safety.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>“It is enough that I've been bitten by a crocodile," Munirpa said. “I won’t let it happen to my children.”</span></div></div>