PHNOM TAMAO, Cambodia — A tiny snout began to push through a fracture in the fragile eggshell, signaling the arrival of a new Siamese crocodile hatchling. This particular hatchling was notably slower than its siblings, who had already emerged, eager chirps escaping them as they made their way into the soft sand. While adult Siamese crocodiles can grow to impressive lengths of up to 4 meters (13 feet) and weigh around 350 kilograms (770 pounds), these hatchlings are roughly the size of a New York hotdog and vulnerable in their early days. Their high-pitched calls served as a signal for mothers to shield them and for any lingering siblings to hurry up and join.
Hor Vichet, a dedicated zookeeper at the Fauna and Flora breeding facility for this critically endangered species in Phnom Tamao, carefully assisted the newest arrival by breaking the remaining shell, exclaiming, “It’s time to go into the world.”
The renaissance of Siamese crocodiles is a remarkable development. Once thriving across Southeast Asia, the species experienced a drastic decline due to the rising demand for their leather, leading to widespread hunting and capturing for breeding farms. By the late 1990s, they were feared to be extinct. However, a survey in the year 2000 revealed a remnant wild population in the Cardamom Mountains of western Cambodia. These rainforests, which served as strongholds for Khmer Rouge guerrillas until 1999, benefited from the respect local Indigenous communities held for the crocodile. Despite this, the population remained too small and dispersed to enable recovery.
Conservationists recognized that the survival of the species hinged on the successful captive breeding of authentic, fertile Siamese crocodiles. Interestingly, those who nearly hunted the crocodiles to extinction now serve a crucial role in conservation efforts. An estimated 1,000 Siamese crocodiles currently exist in the wild, with about 400 located in Cambodia and the remainder distributed across Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Indonesia. Protecting this reptile also entails preserving their habitat in the Cardamom Mountains – a rich ecosystem that acts as one of Southeast Asia’s last remaining tropical rainforests, covering an area larger than Denmark and aiding in the capture of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
These conservation initiatives have begun yielding positive results, as the first crocodiles were reintroduced into the wild in 2012. Encouragingly, more than a hundred eggs were discovered in the forests in July, the highest count recorded to date. Fauna and Flora’s Pablo Sinovas acknowledged, “We are still far from being able to say the species is in a good place, but it is making progress.”
When the project commenced in 2011, conservationists confronted significant challenges. There were over 1.5 million crocodiles in farms throughout Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam; however, very few were purebreds. Farmers often mixed Siamese crocodiles with larger, more aggressive species to create skins that appealed to fashion industries. Releasing these hybrids into the wild might accelerate the decline of purebred populations. This poses potential dangers to humans as well; some hybrids exhibit aggression that could be harmful, complicating the relationship between people and crocodiles.
To mitigate this, experts combed through crocodile farms in Cambodia, collaborating with farmers and scientists to identify purebred specimens. The selected few were transported to the Phnom Tamao wildlife center for breeding. Here, their eggs received artificial incubation, and the first group of 18 purebred hatchlings was set free in the Cardamom Mountains, setting the stage for the species’ revival.
Crocodiles are inherently social creatures; upon reuniting, they instinctively establish their hierarchy. According to Iri Gill, who oversees cold-blooded animals at Chester Zoo in the U.K., which bolsters the breeding program, females lay their eggs after mating, and these are carefully incubated to mimic natural nesting conditions. “That is the key stage to hatch those juveniles out and raise them to a strong age before their release,” Gill emphasized.
Similar breeding initiatives were pivotal in restoring crocodile populations in India, where numbers dwindled nearly to extinction by the early 1970s, as noted by Yashendu Joshi, a crocodile researcher at an Indian wildlife center. Wild conditions often lead to less than 1 in 20 hatchlings surviving to adulthood, while releasing those that reach about a meter (3.4 feet) long dramatically increases their survival odds. “That’s why these captive breeding programs have been working globally,” he stated.
With the demand for crocodile leather declining and many farms struggling since the pandemic, croc farmer Ry Lean discussed her difficulties resulting from the industry downturn. In her home, crocodiles bask in outdoor pens, while her shop features souvenirs made from their remains, including skulls and jerky. However, tourism has plummeted post-pandemic, and escalating fish prices have complicated the task of feeding the reptiles. “I’m stuck with this business and the crocodiles,” Lean lamented, recalling that one large crocodile could once fetch up to $1,500, but now she would be lucky to receive $150.
Conservationists continue to scout crocodile farms in search of purebred Siamese crocodiles while working to protect the regions where these young crocs are released. Alarmingly, Cambodia has lost nearly a third of its tree cover from 2001 to 2023, according to data from environmental monitoring groups. The Siamese crocodile has become a symbol for wildlife preservation efforts, akin to the conservation status of giant pandas in China and tigers in India, emphasizing the need to protect the Cardamom Mountains ecosystem, as stated by Sinovas: “Protecting habitat is the most important part of this whole project.”