Rising water caused by rains from Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Alberto have led hundreds of crocodiles to seek shelter in three Mexican cities.
Lagoons in Ciudad Madero, Altamira and Tampico in the state of Tamaulipas were particularly inundated, the state government said this week. Tamaulipas is on the east side of Mexico, bordering Texas.
The crocodiles in question are the swamp crocodile, also known as Morelet’s crocodile or the Mexican crocodile.
About 165 crocodiles were captured during the first week of July, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection estimates. Of those, about 130 were found in Ciudad Madero and Tampico, and the remaining 30 were in Altamira.
Another 40 crocodiles were caught in the area in June, the attorney general’s office told The Associated Press.
Authorities are “seeking to relocate this population to the Wildlife Conservation Management Units because in the metropolitan area, crocodiles are coming out due to the rains and tides, so they are already in contact with humans,” Tamaulipas Parks and Biodiversity Commission member Eduardo Rocha Orozco said in a subsequent state government release on Wednesday as translated into English.
Most crocodile attacks on humans occur between April and September. June and July are the most critical period, Mr. Orozco said, because it is in the midst of their reproductive cycle and mothers are more aggressive in defense of their eggs.
The Tamaulipas state Secretariat of Urban Development and Environment has moved to monitor the crocs. Since the lagoons in those cities are connected to drains, authorities worry that the crocodiles could disperse and run into both locals and tourists.
Tracking of the crocodiles has already begun. A satellite tracker has been placed on a female crocodile named “H2” found in the southern part of the state, and authorities plan to put more trackers on other animals.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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