Gili Islands

• 12Go has prepared a list of the best travel destinations for the winter season in Asia.
• Analyzing the tickets sold throughout the year, 12Go identified the top travel destinations suitable for different groups of travelers, including solo travelers, couples, families, and friends.
• The top 10 countries that stand out are Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Laos, Malaysia, and Japan.
• Cambodia secures the fifth spot, with travel destinations for New Year celebrations, including Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Siem Reap.

• Nothing unusual about that – except this croc was on Legian Beach, one of Bali’s most popular spots.
• Only four months later, a large crocodile killed a man who was spearfishing with friends in Lombok’s Awang Bay, about 100 kilometres east of Bali.
• And in Bali, it’s unlikely we’ll see any crocodile recovery because of the importance of beaches to tourism and a high human population.

What happened to Indonesia’s crocodiles?

• They’re the largest living reptile, reaching up to seven metres in length – far larger than Indonesia’s famous Komodo dragon, which tops out at three metres.
• We have records of attacks on humans in Bali from the early 20th century and across much of Java until the 1950s.
• Salties are now being regularly sighted in Indonesia’s densely populated island of Java, including in seas off Jakarta.

Are crocodiles returning in numbers?

• On many Indonesian islands, there’s very limited mangrove habitat suitable for crocodiles, and many creeks and rivers may be naturally too small for more than a small number of them.
• Dominant males push out smaller male crocodiles, who set out in search of new habitat.
• Read more:
  Friday essay: reckoning with an animal that sees us as prey — living and working in crocodile country

Where are Bali’s crocs coming from?

• You might look at a map and think crocodiles moving back into Bali are coming from Australia.
• But there is currently no evidence of significant crocodile movement between Australia and Indonesia.
• It would be a brave crocodile to swim more than 1,000 kilometres from Australia to Bali.

What does this mean for residents and tourists?

• The spike in sightings and attacks suggests we’re going to have to find ways of living alongside these reptiles.
• The coastal waters and estuaries of Lombok and western Java are now likely home to a small resident population.
• Does it mean you should cancel your next Bali trip?
• Read more:
  The Northern Territory does not have a crocodile problem – and 'salties' do not need culling