Key facts
- Two men have died in recent crocodile attacks in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Indonesia has the world's highest annual number of fatal crocodile attacks.
- Environmental groups link these attacks to habitat destruction caused by logging and plantations.
- Land-use changes are believed to be increasing dangerous contact between humans and wildlife.
Two recent fatal crocodile attacks in North Sumatra, Indonesia, have brought attention to the country's high annual rate of such incidents. Environmental groups suggest that widespread habitat destruction, driven by logging and plantation expansion across the archipelago, is destabilizing ecosystems. This destabilization is believed to be forcing both humans and wildlife into closer and more dangerous contact, leading to an increase in fatal encounters. The incidents underscore a broader pattern of human-wildlife conflict exacerbated by land-use changes.