A wild Siamese crocodile nest in the wetland habitat of Treapeng Peang in Southern Cardamom National Park, Koh Kong province has been found recently by Fauna and Flora’s Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Programme team, in cooperation with Koh Kong Provincial Department of Environment, Forestry Administration and local community.

According to a news release of the Fauna and Flora - Cambodia Programme, the nest had 21 eggs, 17 of which were fertilised.

These fertilised eggs have been moved to a safe area and are being incubated in an artificial nest to ensure their safety, whilst the unfertilised eggs were left in the original wild nest, it added.

“The artificial nest is fenced and guarded around the clock by our community wardens, to protect the eggs from harm. We expect the eggs to hatch in mid-August and the young crocodiles will be released back into the wild to ensure they get the best chance of survival as possible,” the source said.

The Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is Critically Endangered and threatened with extinction. Populations were rediscovered in Cambodia by Fauna and Flora and Forestry Administration surveys in the Cardamoms in 2000, and this area is a stronghold for the species.

However, the news release added, estimates put the total global population of this species at less than 1,000 breeding individuals, nearly 400 of which inhabit in Cambodia’s habitats, so the discovery of a viable nest is exciting and promising news.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse