A mother washing clothes in an Indonesian river and her son searching for her body were killed by the same crocodile in East Nusa Tenggara province, highlighting the growing human-wildlife conflicts in the region.

Alvina Doki, 64, was doing laundry in the Ledewero River on Wednesday, February 5, when a large crocodile emerged and attacked her. Her husband Gabriel Sinyo, 60, witnessed the attack and attempted to save her by throwing rocks at the reptile, but the crocodile dragged her underwater and disappeared.

“The victim was attacked by a crocodile while washing clothes,” said Henry Novika Chandra, commissioner of the regional police. “Currently, her body has not been found. Our members together with the local community are still continuing the search. Hopefully the victim’s body will be found soon.”

Later that evening, while searching for his mother’s body, Wilsilius Lomi, 35, became separated from other searchers and was attacked by what authorities believe was the same crocodile. His body was recovered the next morning.

Assistant Commissioner Yusuf Tarapadjang provided details about the discovery: “We finally found Wilsilius’ body about 500 metres from where he was attacked. His body had a number of claw and tear wounds. The body was intact, there were only wounds on the legs and stomach from being attacked by the crocodile.”

This attack follows a pattern of increasing crocodile-human conflicts in Indonesia. Data shows the country has experienced over 1,000 crocodile attacks in the past decade, resulting in 486 deaths. The Bangka-Belitung province alone has recorded more than 60 fatalities since 2016.

In December, another fatal attack occurred when a 13-foot crocodile killed Nurhawati Zihura, 46, near Deaa Orahili Beach in North Sumatra. Witnesses reported seeing the crocodile perform a death roll before dragging her underwater. When the crocodile resurfaced with her body, locals attempted to retrieve it by throwing dead chickens into the water to distract the predator.

The rising frequency of attacks has become particularly evident in regions affected by mining activities. In August 2024, a 54-year-old woman, Halima Rahakbauw, was killed while swimming in a river in Wali village, eastern Indonesia. Villagers later found parts of her body after killing the 13-foot reptile responsible for the attack.

More recently, in Bangka-Belitung Islands, a five-year-old girl identified as Chaca became another victim when a saltwater crocodile snatched her while she was bathing in an abandoned tin-ore mining pond. “The victim was snatched by a crocodile,” said I Made Oka Astawa, head of the search and rescue agency in Pangkalpinang. Her body was recovered early the next morning after an extensive search involving local rescuers, army, and police personnel.

In West Kalimantan province, another fatal incident occurred when a 44-year-old woman was attacked while working on a palm oil plantation. Despite her colleague’s attempts to save her, the crocodile dragged her into a ditch. Her body was discovered 90 minutes later, still in the crocodile’s grip.

Experts point to the rapid expansion of palm oil plantations and logging projects as significant factors in the increase of human-crocodile conflicts, particularly in Borneo’s rainforest areas. These developments, combined with illegal tin mining operations, have significantly reduced the natural barriers between human settlements and crocodile habitats.

The Bangka island region, one of the world’s richest tin-mining areas, has become a particular hotspot for these deadly encounters. Decades of tin exploitation have stripped the island of its forests, leaving behind thousands of abandoned mining pits that have become new crocodile habitats. As land deposits diminish, miners are increasingly turning to coastal areas, further displacing these predators from their traditional territories.

Environmental experts attribute the rise in attacks to several factors. The Indonesian archipelago is home to 14 species of crocodiles, with a significant population of estuarine crocodiles that thrive in the local climate. Over-fishing has reduced their natural food supplies, while coastal development and widespread tin mining have destroyed their habitats, forcing them closer to human settlements.

Conservation authorities note that the combination of habitat loss and local communities’ continued reliance on rivers for daily activities has created dangerous conditions for human-crocodile interaction. Tin mining activities have particularly impacted crocodile territories, with abandoned mining pits becoming new habitats for these predators.