BY RODRICK DESURI
Auki
Wairaha communities in West Are’are, Malaita province, are calling police to urgently respond to their call to cull the rising numbers of crocodiles in their area.
The communities say they are yet to see a police team hunt crocodiles along the Wairaha River.
The concerns arose after community members saw crocodiles along the Wairaha River multiple times, causing fear among the villagers.
A concerned community member, Izzat Toisutahana, who has lost two family members to crocodile attacks, said their lives are now at stake.
She said the population of crocodiles in Wairaha has increased, and police should now be hunting to kill them.
She also questioned why an agreement between their community leaders and the police has failed to see police action to cull the reptiles.
“So far, our community leaders have agreed and discussed with the police to come and hunt those crocodiles, but until today, we haven’t seen anything happening.
“This has caused great fear and is really affecting our normal life here at home. We now can’t cross the river by canoe or swim,” she said.
In April, two women over 20 years old lost their lives in separate crocodile attacks along the river, prompting all villages nearby to take extra precautionary measures.
The first incident occurred on April 3, when a 22-year-old girl was attacked, followed by her niece on April 21, 2026. They were from Paunanu’u village.
Attempts to reach out to the Malaita Provincial Police Commander, Superintendent Michael Ramosaea, were unsuccessful as he has a busy schedule.
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