Nearly extinct Siamese crocodiles hatch in the wild
This video, provided by Flora & Fauna, features the discovery of new Siamese crocodile nests in May 2024 and subsequent hatching of the Siamese crocodiles in June 2024.
In June 2024, in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia, 60 Siamese crocodiles, from five nests, successfully hatched in the wild. This is a significant boost for a critically endangered species scientists once thought were extinct in the natural world.
The conservation charity Fauna & Flora and the Cambodian government announced this remarkable event on July 18, 2024.
Pablo Sinovas, Country Director for Fauna & Flora’s Cambodia program, said:
The recent discovery of wild nests emphasizes the vital importance of safeguarding this area. With only a few hundred individuals estimated in the wild, the hatching of 60 new crocodiles is a tremendous boost. At a time when wetland biodiversity is declining rapidly across the region, it underscores the potential for natural recovery through sustained collaborative conservation efforts.
More about Siamese crocodiles
Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) are medium-sized freshwater crocodiles that live in Southeast Asia. Adults measure about 7 to 9 feet (2.1 to 2.7 meters) in length, and weigh between 90 and 265 pounds (41 and 120 kg). These mostly olive-colored crocodiles live in freshwater habitats such as slow-moving rivers and streams, plus swamps.
The crocodiles feed on fish and snakes, and they sometimes hunt frogs and small mammals. Females build nests made of plant debris and mud, constructed as a mound. And after incubation is over, she helps the young break out of their eggs. Then, she carries them to the water. Other than that, little is known about how they live in the wild.
Hunting and habitat loss over the decades have decimated Siamese crocodile populations in most of their natural Southeast Asia range. As a result, there are only a few hundred Siamese crocodiles in the wild, mostly in Cambodia. In fact, conservationists once thought Siamese crocodiles were extinct in the wild. However, in 2000, Fauna & Flora staff and the Cambodian government confirmed a wild population still lived in the Cardamom Mountains. Since then, people have found more crocodiles in the area.
In addition to Cambodia, there are very small wild populations in Thailand, Laos, Indonesia and Vietnam. However, there are also captive populations in crocodile farms throughout Southeast Asia.
Discovering new nests in the wild
In May 2024, local residents of the Cardamom Mountains found three nests. Moreover, they discovered the nests at a location where no one had ever released captive-bred crocodiles. As a result, local wardens immediately took steps to protect the nest sites around the clock.
And just two days later, people discovered two more nests at a different location in Cardamom National Park.
In all, 60 crocodiles successfully hatched from five nests by the end of June. Notably, that’s the largest record of these species breeding in the wild in over two decades. And it’s an encouraging sign for the future recovery of this critically endangered species in the wild.
The Cardamom Mountains, a stronghold for Siamese crocodiles
Conservationists largely credit the local community for the survival of this species. It’s because local indigenous people of Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains revere the Siamese crocodiles. Therefore, they consider it taboo to kill or hurt them.
Fauna & Flora staff have been working with the Cambodian government and local communities to keep this species from going extinct in the wild. Together, they have enacted monitoring and anti-poaching programs. Also, since 2012, conservationists have released 196 captive-bred Siamese crocodiles into suitable habitats in the Cardamom Mountains.
Toy Chorn is a community warden and one of the people who helped in the discovery and protection of the newly-discovered nests. He commented:
We have been working closely with Fauna & Flora to protect this critically endangered species for several years, and we were excited to have found these crocodile nests. This discovery indicates that our conservation efforts have paid off, and I believe that with our ongoing conservation efforts, the population of Siamese crocodiles will continue to increase in the future.
Bottom line: In June 2024, 60 critically endangered Siamese crocodiles successfully hatched in the wild, in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia.
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The post Nearly extinct Siamese crocodiles hatch in the wild first appeared on EarthSky.