Fisherman dies after being attacked by a crocodile in central Mozambique

A fisherman died after being dragged by a crocodile into the Zambezi River in Sofala, central Mozambique, Chemba’s district administrator told Luce this Wednesday.

The 59-year-old man was “dragged to the bottom of the Zambezi River by a crocodile” while he was “filming a fishing net” on Monday in Chemba, explained Paulo Kembo, a local administrator.

This year, the county has recorded at least five deaths from crocodile attacks and one seriously injured from a hippo attack, the official said.

Paulo Kembo pointed to the lack of sources of drinking water in the main village, fishing, moving to local islands to care for agricultural fields, and swimming on the shore as some of the situations that lead to attacks on the rivers.

“The situation may worsen now as we enter summer, a time when many people go to swim in the rivers,” the official said.

Wildlife incidents are common in rural Mozambique, and river banks carry an increased risk.

The crocodile is one of the animals causing the most deaths in Mozambique each year, causing 76 deaths in 2020, according to the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) data on recorded incidents – many not even reported.

Crocodiles killed more people in February, January and December, the months of Mozambique’s rainy season, which runs from October to March, according to the organization.