Experts alert that from August-December, when Costa Rica’s crocodiles are breeding, there is often an uptick in attacks on humans.

This is due to the fact that when males compete with other males for a mate, weaker males are often displaced from their usual habitats in and around river mouths and make forays into other areas such as oceans, beaches, canals, and mangroves.

Sunday, September 25, 39-year-old Carlos Zuñiga Pérez was attacked by an American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) while cutting banana branches along the edge of a flooded irrigation canal in Finca 1 of Palmar Sur de Osa in Costa Rica’s southern Pacific region. The victim estimated the animal was 2 meters long.

After what he described as a 30-second fight as the animal dragged him underwater by his head, he miraculously managed to escape. His injuries were treated at Tomas Casas hospital where he has been reported to be in stable condition.

The worker left the scene of the attack on his bicycle and arrived at a nearby house where help was called for. Police transfered Zuñiga to the hospital where he was treated for five wounds in the skull and the face.

Preventive measure include consulting with local residents as to whether crocodiles have been spotted in the area, and looking for posted warning signs before bathing in oceans or rivers.

Another reason crocodiles attack humans who unwittingly enter their territories include female crocodiles protecting their nests or hatchlings. When crocodiles attack because they are in search of a meal, the attacks are often deadly; other times their bites are warnings to leave their territory, say biologists.

In April this year, a 21-year-old Costa Rican managed to survive a crocodile attack in the vicinity of Playa Azul, at the mouth of the Tárcoles river. The animal was estimated to be 4-meters long.