BENH, Cambodia (AP) — Environmentalists in Cambodia Officials said on Thursday they had found 106 eggs of a rare Siamese crocodile in a wildlife sanctuary in western Cambodia, calling it the largest discovery in the past 20 years and offering new hope that the world’s rarest species of crocs could survive in the wild.
The group discovered the eggs of this species in Cardamom National Park last May. Between June 27 and 30, a total of 60 eggs were successfully hatched, according to a joint statement issued by the ministries of agriculture and environment in collaboration with the Fauna and Flora Conservation Group.
The statement said, “This discovery indicates that the area is a major habitat for wild crocodiles, providing hope for the recovery of the species.”
She added that the area and the small reptiles were under the protection of wildlife rangers at Cardamom National Park.
This species of crocodile was once widespread in Southeast Asia, but is now listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It had almost disappeared by the 1990s due to a combination of poaching, habitat destruction, and hybridization with other crocodile species.
Cambodian Environment Minister Iang Suphalith said his ministry is working to conserve and restore endangered Siamese crocodiles to their habitats.
“Siamese crocodiles play an important role in the ecosystem, and the discovery of the five nets that successfully hatched 60 eggs reflects that Cardamom National Park is a safe and suitable habitat for this species,” Suvalith said in a statement on Thursday.
A rare Siamese crocodile hatches at Cardamom National Park in June 2024. (Toy Ya/Fauna & Flora via AP)
There are believed to be only about 1,000 Siamese crocodiles left in the wild, and more than 300 of them are in Cambodia.
In 2017Wildlife researchers found six eggs in the Sri Ampel area of southern Koh Kong province while exploring for tracks and signs of the reptile. Later, September 2021Conservationists have found eight giant panda cubs in a river at the Srebok Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Cambodia, raising hopes that they may survive in the wild.