Twenty endangered Siamese crocodiles hatch in Laos (Via Herp Digest)

Twenty endangered Siamese crocodiles hatch in Laos

Aug 28, 2011 4:47 PM, By JERRY HARMER



VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) - One of the world's rarest crocodile species has moved a little bit further from extinction with the hatching of 20 wild eggs plucked from a nest found in southern Laos.

Experts believe there could be as few as 300 Siamese crocodiles remaining in the world's swamps, forests and rivers, so the discovery of the nest - the first found in the mountainous, jungle-clad country since 2008 - is a significant step in the rehabilitation of a species that was declared extinct in the wild in 1992.



Since then, tiny populations have been discovered in remote corners of its range, which used to include most of Southeast Asia. Still, the crocs remain critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, the acknowledged authority on the status of global biodiversity.



Under the soft red light of an incubator, the 20 baby crocodiles tapped and cracked their way into the world last week. Their nest was found in the southern province of Savannakhet in June by a team of villagers trained by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, which is working to save the species in landlocked Laos.



"The feeling was one of elation," Chris Hallam, who coordinates the organization's crocodile project in Laos, told The Associated Press about the hatching.



"When you look at the global population and the population in Laos it represents quite a significant number of individual crocodiles," he said.



The crocs were hatched at the Lao Zoo, just outside Vientiane, where they were moved to protect them from predators such as snakes and monitor lizards.



Hallam said the crocodiles will be raised in captivity for 18 months before being released back into the wild.



And it seems they won't be alone. Villagers recently found another nest in Savannakhet with 20 eggs inside. Because those crocs are so near to hatching, conservationists decided to leave them where they are with village teams keeping an eye on them.



The Siamese crocodile grows up to 10 feet (3 meters) in length but is generally docile. Their passive nature made them all the easier to hunt. In recent decades thousands were captured and sold to crocodile farms that sprung up across Southeast Asia, feeding a vogue for its renowned soft skin and a taste for its meat.



Several thousand of the crocodiles remain in farms and in zoos, though many have been crossbred with bigger species, reducing still further the numbers of pure Siamese crocodiles.

Twenty rare Siamese crocodiles hatch in zoo

One of the world's rarest crocodiles is clawing its way back from extinction in the wild, with the hatching of 20 eggs in Laos.
The eggs of the Siamese crocodiles were found floating on a bed of reeds in a lake in southern Laos in June, and were brought to the zoo for protection.

Katherine Smith reports.

Footage of crocodiles in incubator courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society.  See video here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14681662

'Extinct' Siamese crocodiles lay first eggs in Cambodia (Via HerpDigest)

'Extinct' Siamese crocodiles lay first eggs in Cambodia - Success for new captive breeding programme

3/31/11- Cambodia's critically endangered Siamese crocodile has taken a step back from the brink of extinction after a captive breeding pair in Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre built a nest and laid their first eggs.

Previously Cambodia was home to two crocodile species. The salt water crocodile is now believed to have vanished from the country, while the Siamese crocodile, long thought to also be extinct, was rediscovered a decade ago in the Cardamom Mountains by a team from Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and the Forestry Administration of Cambodia. 

The Siamese crocodile has long been prized for its skin, and over-hunting has caused numbers to decline drastically. Estimates currently put the total wild population at fewer than 250.

Development of hydroelectric dams in current crocodile habitats look likely to create further threats for this species, leading conservationists to attempt a captive conservation breeding programme. 

Crocodiles are 15 years old before they breed
Crocodiles, unlike many reptiles, build a nest which the female guards throughout the incubation period. Generally, it takes a Siamese crocodile up to 15 years of age before it is sexually mature and able to breed. Keepers at the facility first noticed breeding activity in December last year.

Then in the middle of last month, the female gathering nesting material. Biologists have quickly examined the top layer of the nest, confirming there were at least 12 eggs; there is likely to be double this number.

'This is great news,' said Adam Starr, FFI's Project Manager of the Cambodia Crocodile Conservation Project. 'If we can successfully breed Siamese crocodiles in captivity and release the young in to the wild once they are large enough to be safe from predators it gives the species a fighting chance.'

The captive breeding facility at Phnom Tamao was only opened in September last year. Director of the rescue centre Nhek Ratnapich said: 'This is the first nest in the new facility and this shows that the crocodiles find it satisfactory.'