Croc Expert: ‘Be More Afraid of People Than Crocs’

It’s not the first time a person has been attacked by a crocodile in Belize. However, it’s not as common as one would think, according to Marisa Tellez of the Crocodile Research Coalition.

What it does leave behind, however, is fear.

Tellez says it is understandable to feel fear against these animals, and while it is totally valid, learning about these animals keeps you calm and safe whenever you do encounter yourself at the face of a crocodile.

She added that sightings are not unusual and do not signal danger, but that panic is the worst response you can have when encountering a crocodile in the water.

“This is an animal that is stealthy and attacks. So if it’s gonna attack you, it’s not gonna show itself,” she said.

“I know this might seem a little counterintuitive, but the one thing you do want to do is just to swim slowly away. If you start creating a lot of panic, if you start creating a lot of splashing, that, to the animal, is gonna make it go, ‘What’s going on over there? Oh, is that, is that an injured animal?’ And that’s gonna attract them closer to you.”

While public fear is understandable, she challenged perceptions with a stark reminder that the last recorded incident on Caye Caulker was over three years ago.

Tellez questioned, “When was the last stabbing in Belize? When was the last murder in Belize? What should you fear more is a human on the street or the possibility of a crocodile in the water?”

“Statistically, you should be more afraid of the two-legged crocodile on the street than the four-legged one in the lagoon,” she added.