Hatchlings of endangered crocodile species found in Cambodia.

In the last month Cambodias wildlife conservationists have found eight hatchlings of the endangered Siamese Crocodile. The hatchlings were found in the Srepok river inside a wildlife sanctuary of eastern Cambodia. Cambodias Environment minister has said that this is “such rewarding news” as there are aproximately only 400 Siamese crocodiles left in the wild. The hatchlings were found by the team after footprints and dung were found in the months before and prompted the search. However, the search has been going on for over a decade as the Cambodian Government and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) have been searching for “photographic evidence of a breeding population” throughout the Srepok river. This discovery, along with the finding of six eggs in the Sre Ambel District in 2017, are positive signs for the species survival in the wild. 

Siamese crocodiles used to be found throughout Southeast Asia’s freshwater rivers, lakes, and swamps but as of the early 1990s, the population has been decreasing rapidly. The drop in population comes from the loss of natural habitat, poaching, illegal trading, and crossbreading with other crocodiles. The Simamese crocodile is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature meaning the sanctuary is under 24-hour security surveillance in hopes to give the hatchlings the best chance of survival. 

I hope the sanctuary is able to provide the right support for these hatchlings as it could be the start of repopulatign the species back in the wild. It is going to take more than just the hatching’s survival to repopulate the species, but this discovery may help Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries see that it is possible to save the Siamese Crocodile from extinction.