Tourists visiting Cancun were stunned when their guide, leading them across a river, grabbed the tail of a crocodile.
The reptile was approaching the boat, much to the delight of a woman aboard the vessel on the Lagartos River in Yucantán, Mexico, when the guide suddenly reached into the murky water.
The careless guide held his hand in the water to encourage the crocodile to come closer to the group, thus enticing the animal to come closer to him.
The animal came close to the boat, apparently to be fed. Then it turned and began to float away.
In a viral video, a guide was seen challenging a crocodile before grabbing it by its tail in the Lagartos River in Yucatán, Mexico
A crocodile violently lashed its tail in the Lagartos Rio after a guide pulled it out despite being warned by a tourist on the boat
The woman, who was apparently filming the whole thing, warned the guide: ‘Don’t bother him’. He ignored her advice, grabbed the crocodile’s tail and lifted him up.
“Leave him, leave him, so he doesn’t jump,” the woman insisted as the crocodile she named “Pachito” lashed out violently with its tail.
The crocodile was seen leaving the area as the woman pleaded with the guide to continue. A man in the background said, “Don’t be afraid!”
The guide ignored the woman’s suggestion and remained there until the crocodile reappeared. He swam towards the boat while keeping his distance until he finally turned away.
Luis Díaz, director and founder of Yucatán Amphibians and Reptiles Conservation, warned of the risks and dangers that arise when guides use tactics like those seen in the video.
The crocodile is a Morelet species and is not considered a threat to humans, said Luis Díaz, director and founder of the Yucatán Amphibians and Reptiles Conservation in Yucatán, Mexico. He warned, however, that people could be attacked if they continue to feed the reptile or try tactics to get its attention to come closer.
The crocodile swam away from the boat while its guide reached into the water and grabbed its tail
“They attract crocodiles by constantly feeding them raw fish, crabs or other things that train them,” Díaz said. The Heraldo of Mexico. ‘They feed the crocodiles and call them by putting their hand in the water. This makes the crocodiles associate boats and people with food. That’s why they come too close to the boats.’
Díaz indicated that the provoked crocodile, an animal of the Morelet genus native to the waters of Yucatán, is not aggressive and would not directly attack humans.
However, it is possible that they will hunt humans if they continue to give them food.
“When a tourist enters the water, these animals already associate humans with food and they go straight to them. If they don’t find that reward, they can bite,” Díaz said.