In 1992, Siamese crocodiles were listed as ‘virtually extinct,’ as wild populations dwindled from decades of poaching.
Hunted for their soft, reptilian hides used in the fashion industry — and facing habitat degradation — the crocs were brought to the brink.
But now, they’re back in style — and not for the runway.
Fauna & Flora, a nonprofit that works on the frontlines of Siamese crocodile conservation, has announced that the largest population of the endangered species has hatched this century, welcoming 60 babies in Cambodia’s Cardamom National Park.
Although the baby crocs — with olive green scales and a distinctly bony crest atop their heads — just appeared Earth-side, their foray back into the wild has been decades in the making.
After their declared extinction in the 1990s, a tiny group of crocodiles were rediscovered in the remote Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia in 2000.
According to the New York Times, the Indigenous population of the Chorng people had protected the crocs for years, considering them sacred to their culture.
In the decades since, Fauna & Flora has worked with these local people — along with government agencies — to formally protect the species. The Siamese crocodile is smaller and less aggressive than its other saltwater crocodile relatives, and the local people who care for them often swim in the rivers where the crocs dwell.
Pablo Sinovas, the country’s director at Fauna & Flora told The New York Times that Siamese crocodiles “are a charismatic, large predator, so they naturally fascinate humans, and they have cultural importance.”
“If we’re able to conserve Siamese crocodiles, which requires the conservation of wetlands they inhabit,” he continued, “then by default we’re conserving the biodiversity that depends on those wetlands.”
This conservation work includes breeding initiatives and efforts to build safe and sustainable habitats for the crocs within Cardamom National Park, where they can be shielded from threats like deforestation and poaching.
A communal effort, their hard work paid off and in May of this year, locals discovered three nests in an area where captive-bred crocodiles had never been released before. They immediately reported the nests to Fauna & Flora’s conservation teams, who worked with local community wardens to protect the nests around the clock.
Miraculously, just a few days later, two other nests were discovered in the national park.
“At the end of June, a total of 60 Siamese crocodile hatchlings successfully emerged from these nests,” a Fauna & Flora press release reads, calling it “an incredible result for conservationists and a real sign of hope for the future of this species.”
Toy Chorn is a community warden who helped discover and protect the nests.
“This discovery indicates that our conservation efforts have paid off,” he said in a statement. “I believe that with our ongoing conservation efforts, the population of Siamese crocodiles will continue to increase in the future.”
Siamese crocodiles were once widespread throughout Southeast Asia, and experts now calculate that there are just a few hundred of them left in the world, many residing in Cambodia. As part of Fauna & Flora’s efforts, 196 Siamese crocodiles have been released into the wild since 2012 — and this new crop of crocs represents an exciting breakthrough.
“The recent discovery of wild nests emphasizes the vital importance of safeguarding this area,” Sinovas said in a statement. “With only a few hundred individuals estimated in the wild, the hatching of 60 new crocodiles is a tremendous boost.”
Now, locals and experts will monitor the health of the babies, breed them in captivity, and then plan to release them into suitable habitats across the Cardamom Mountains. Local community members will continue to regularly patrol the mountains after the crocs are released to ensure their safety.
The Siamese crocodile is still considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But the natural resilience of the species, combined with the collaborative and dedicated efforts of their human keepers, makes for an optimistic new chapter in their story.
“This successful endeavor demonstrates the positive impact of our collective work, as Siamese crocodiles now reproduce independently, forming new nests and offspring in their natural habitats,” Dith Tina, Cambodia’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, said in a statement.
“It reinforces our commitment to conserve Cambodia’s diverse biodiversity for generations to come.”
Header image: © Bros Pov / Fauna & Flora
