Phnom Penh: 106 eggs of rare species of crocodile ‘Siamese’ have been found in a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia. Officials gave this information. They said that this is the biggest discovery in the last 20 years and it has raised hopes of the existence of the rarest species of crocodile in the forests around the world. A joint statement by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the conservation group ‘Fauna and Flora’ said that these eggs were found in Keramom National Park in May and babies hatched from a total of 60 eggs between 27 and 30 June. The statement said, “The discovery of eggs indicates that this area is a major habitat of wild crocodiles.”
There was heavy poaching
The statement said that this area and the baby crocodiles are protected by the Keramom National Park Wildlife Conservation Ranger. This species of crocodile was once found in large numbers in Southeast Asia, but now the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as a critically endangered species. By the 1990s, they had become extinct due to poaching, destruction of habitats and the increase in the number of other species of crocodiles.
The government is working
Cambodia’s Environment Minister Uang Sophaleth said that his ministry is working on the conservation and restoration of habitats of these critically endangered Siamese crocodiles. Sophaleth said, “Siamese crocodiles play an important role in the ecosystem and the successful hatching of 60 eggs shows that Keromom National Park is a safe and suitable habitat for this species.” It is believed that only about 1,000 Siamese crocodiles are left in the wild, of which more than 300 are in Cambodia.
