Development of a re-introduction and re-enforcement program for Siamese crocodiles in Cambodia

Summary

The Critically Endangered Siamese crocodile, reduced to fewer than 250 wild adults across up to 50 scattered Cambodian sites with no more than five nests recorded annually, is the subject of a long-term reintroduction plan developed since 2001 by the Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Program, a partnership between the Forestry Administration and Fauna & Flora International, though as of the report no crocodiles had yet been released. A decade of research mapped over 30 occupied sites, confirmed breeding at only five, used radio telemetry to show wild crocodiles keep small home ranges unlikely to allow natural recolonization of empty habitat, and documented the species as a harmless generalist predator with no recorded attacks on people, easing community concerns. Genetic testing in 2009 identified 35 pure-bred Siamese crocodiles, separated from hybrids, at the government's Wildlife Rescue Centre near Phnom Penh, which will serve as the captive breeding facility, expected to produce at least 50 pure-bred hatchlings annually once new breeding pens are completed in 2010; six candidate release sites in southwest Cambodia have been identified using criteria including year-round deep water and protected-area status. The program plans its first release of up to 50 captive-bred juveniles in 2012, following the community-sanctuary model already used to establish three crocodile sanctuaries where local villagers serve as paid wardens and populations are stable or increasing. Major difficulties included illegal wildlife trade worth up to $1,000 per adult, remote and hazardous fieldwork including minefields and repeated staff malaria, and weak law enforcement. The project does not yet rate its success, since no animals have been released.