Record hatching of endangered crocodile species occurs in Cambodia

These hatchlings, a record number for this century, emerged from five separate nests within the Cardamom National Park in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia.

According to a statement released on July 18 by Fauna & Flora, a UK-based international nature conservation charity collaborating with Cambodian government officials and local partners, the nests were discovered in May, in an area where captive-bred crocodiles had not been released.

Pablo Sinovas, country director of Fauna & Flora Cambodia, expressed the significance of this breeding event, stating, "This is the biggest recorded breeding event for this species this century. The Siamese crocodile was considered to be extinct in the wild only a couple of decades ago, and so having now found sixty hatchlings produced in the wild is really significant for the recovery of this species."

“What we have done is to protect the nest to make sure that process happens without predators coming in and raiding the nest with viable eggs and the mothers of those hatchlings were protecting each other's nests,” he added.

The conservation efforts involved protecting the nests from predators, allowing the mothers to safeguard the viable eggs naturally. Out of 106 eggs monitored closely by park rangers and local communities, 66 were fertilised, and 60 successfully hatched between June 27 and 30, as reported by Reuters.

The Siamese crocodile, a freshwater species capable of reaching up to 4 meters (13.1 feet) in length, once roamed extensively across Southeast Asia but has faced severe threats from hunting, pushing it to the brink of extinction.

Classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, the species is estimated to have a wild population of around 400 individuals, according to Fauna & Flora.