Endangered crocodiles at ‘turning point’ after 10 hatchlings are spotted

Ten baby Siamese crocodiles have been spotted in the wild in Cambodia, sparking hope for a species once believed to be extinct.

The critically endangered animals have disappeared from 99% of its range, with just 250 estimated to be living in Cambodian rivers.

But a young group were seen in late January by conservationists with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) at the Veal Veng crocodile sanctuary, a protected part of the Steung Knoung River managed by the organisation.

The UK-based charity said it was the largest number of baby Siamese crocodiles it had seen and only the second time in a decade that hatchlings had been found in the wild in the country.

Experts thought the species was extinct in the wild until 2000 when it was rediscovered by a team of scientists from FFI during surveys in the Cardamom Mountains in south-west Cambodia.

Pablo Sinovas, flagship species manager in Cambodia for FFI has named the news a ‘turning point’.

He said: ‘This is a really significant moment and it feels like we have reached a turning point for the Siamese crocodile.

‘For a species that for a long time was believed to be extinct in the wild to be breeding and producing hatchlings is extremely exciting.

‘Reproduction of a species in the wild is a key measure of success in terms of population recovery and long-term viability. It shows our conservation efforts are working.’

One of the biggest causes of the endangerment of Siamese crocodiles used to be collection from the wild for commercial farms.

However, the biggest threats they face now are damage to their habitats and death due to entanglement in fishing nets.

FFI manages a captive breeding facility in partnership with the Cambodian Forestry Administration where baby crocodiles are reared in captivity for up to three years.

When they are old enough to fend for themselves, they are then placed into strictly protected community crocodile sanctuaries that are overseen in consultation with local communities and protected by local community wardens.

This programme has seen about 111 of the creatures released into the wild since 2012.

FFI has revealed the next phase of conservation efforts will include releasing more crocodiles into the wild, as well as close monitoring of those that have been released and expanding out to additional suitable sites in the country.