KINABATANGAN: As a boy, Sidik Tudin used to swim in Sungai Kinabatangan with his friends after school.
"Villagers used to wash their clothes by the river and people used to depend on the river for their livelihoods without fear.
"That was about 50 years ago when people did not worry about getting attacked or eaten by crocodiles which have been living in the river since ancient times," said the 55-year-old who is also the village chief of Mukim Paris here.
He said villagers used to see crocodiles as a "shy" animal as they would move away when they saw humans.
He said the reptiles were more often seen at night when villagers were fishing.
"But in the past two years, the crocodiles have changed. They can be seen during the day and night.
"Unlike before, they are now more daring. They expose themselves and get closer when they see people."
Sidik said, based on the frequency of sightings, the crocodile population here was likely bigger than believed.
He said the reptiles could grow up to 1.5m long.
Sidik, who oversees seven villages of about 6,000 people, said about 50 people relied on the river for their livelihoods.
He said this year, three people in Kinabatangan had died from crocodile attacks.
Sidik said the latest death on July 30 involved a woman who was fishing at a riverbank in Kampung Tanjung Bulat Sinar Jaya, Kota Kinabatangan, near here.
Following the death, Kinabatangan member of parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, who is also deputy chief minister, urged the authorities to address the issue, including auditing the crocodile population and looking into permits for or allowing crocodile hunting.
Danau Girang Field Centre director Professor Benoit Goossens said in the past 50 years, habitats for crocodiles had been dwindling.
"I can't say that crocodiles are becoming more aggressive. To me, you could say that crocodiles are becoming more aggressive if they were attacking boats, for example.
"But taking someone who is swimming in the river or someone who is fishing next to the river cannot be called aggressive. This is normal crocodile behaviour.
"In the past two years, the lack of large prey like pigs following the African swine fever outbreak could turn large crocodiles to people."