Phnom Penh, June 11: Conservationists in Cambodia are celebrating the hatching of a clutch of eggs from one of the world’s most critically endangered animals, the Siamese crocodile.
Thirteen juveniles crawled out of their shells over the weekend in a remote part of the Cardamom Mountains in south western Cambodia, following a weeks-long vigil by researchers who found them in the jungle.
Experts believe as few as 250 Siamese crocodiles are left in the wild, almost all of them in Cambodia but with a few spread between Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam and possibly Thailand.
The operation to protect and hatch the eggs was mounted by UK-based Fauna and Flora International, for whom conservation of this once-abundant species is a key programme.
“Every nest counts,” said programme manager Adam Starr. “To be able to find a nest is a very big success story, to be able to hatch eggs properly is an even bigger success story.”
—Agencies