SE Globe, Oct. 16, 2020
On September 11, in a lake in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, 15 hatchlings of the critically endangered Siamese crocodile were discovered by conservationist group the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The 15 hatchlings were spotted by one of WCS patrol teams swimming in a lake in the Sre Ambel district – part of a wetland that serves as an important refuge for Siamese crocodiles. “It’s very exciting,” Som Sitha, project manager for WCS Cambodia, told the Globe. “But sadly, I wasn’t there with my team to see it!”
Sightings of Siamese crocodiles are rare, spotting a group of hatchlings even more so. But the recent sighting of the 15 last month comes off the back of 10 hatchings found in the Steung Knoung River in January and another 7 hatchlings found at two different sites in the Cardamom Mountains in August by Fauna & Flora International (FFI). It seems that the outlook for the endangered crocodile may not be as bleak as once feared.
But those who have been working to save the crocodile – with programmes ranging from recruiting former hunters to protect the species they once tracked, as well as the first genetics laboratory for conservation in the Kingdom – are not resting on their laurels.
In full: https://southeastasiaglobe.com/siamese-crocodile-conservation/
No comments:
Post a Comment