On the Brink of Extinction: 50 Baby Crocs Returned to Wild
50 captive-bred Philippine crocodiles, on the brink of extinction, were released into the wild last week. On July 31st, the baby crocs were released in Dicatian Lake, located in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP), a protected area of the Philippines.
- » See also: On the Brink of Extinction: Call to Close Cruel and Inhumane Tiger Farms
- » Get EcoLocalizer by RSS or sign up by email.
It was a long journey for the baby crocs. After being flown from Puerto Princesa to Manila, the crocs embarked on a 12-hour bus ride and were then transported via helicopters to NSMNP. 10 of the crocodiles were fitted with radio transmitters. Students from Leiden University and Isabela State University, along with conservationists, will be closely monitoring the crocs.
Although bred in captivity, reintroducing the rare crocodiles back into the wild can be difficult. Philippine crocodiles, Crocodylus mindorensis, can be aggressive with each other when in captivity. Dr. Jan van der Ploeg, from Leiden University, said, “But the problem with the captive breeding and reintroduction project was not so much the crocodiles but the people. A lot of attention went to the breeding, and too little efforts were made to address the threats, disseminate information and mobilize local support for crocodile conservation.”
The young crocodiles will be sexually mature in a few years and those involved in the project will learn if the reintroduction was successful.
Philippine Crocodile
The species is the most severely threatened crocodile in the world. Until the release of the 50 crocs, it was estimated that less than 100 Philippine crocodiles existed in the wild. Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this freshwater species has faced numerous threats. Besides overfishing with dynamite and electricity, habitat loss and pesticides, the Philippine crocodile was often hunted for it’s skin. Considered shy, there are no known cases of Philippine crocodiles killing humans.
Photo Philippine crocodile Vanderploeg via Creative Commons.
Sending supportive thoughts to these shy crocs. A special thank you to all that were involved in reintroducing these reptiles to their natural habitat!
Monica Erskine
Endangered Species Chocolate