month pregnant woman escaped death after she was attacked by a crocodile in a creek in San Mariano town, Isabela province. “I was just beside the creek. I was surprised when a crocodile suddenly bit me,” 24-year-old Glenda Aribbay told ABS-CBN Cagayan Valley in an interview. Aribbay, a resident of Barangay Cadsalan, said she was able to run after the first bite, but the crocodile chased her and bit her again. She was with her husband, Eduardo, who was allegedly able to scare away the crocodile. The couple said they are used to the presence of crocodiles at the creek. Aribbay also claimed that they even used to “swim with crocodiles.” She said women who wash their clothes in the creek are not bothered by the presence of the predators. Dr. Gabriela Gonzalez, the victim's attending physician at a local hospital in Isabela, said Aribbay was already out of danger. The attack did not affect the baby in her womb. After the near-death experience, the Aribbay couple urged the local government to ban people from swimming in the creek. Local officials in San Mariano, with the help of the Mabuwaya Foundation, are active in promoting the welfare and protection of crocodiles in the town's creek. – ABS
