A CROCODILE REBORN

 

Once widespread across Cambodia, the Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) has become one of the world’s rarest reptiles, with 150-300 mature individuals remaining in the wild within the country. Its decline mirrors the country’s own turbulent history: during the political upheavals that shook Cambodia from the 1970s to the 1990s, environmental protection collapsed, wetlands and forests were rapidly converted into agricultural land, and wildlife was taken freely from the wild.

 

Habitat loss, combined with hunting and dam construction, fragmented the remaining populations, making natural

reproduction increasingly difficult. Adding to this, from the 1950s through the late 20th century, the crocodile-skin trade

expanded sharply. Wild Siamese crocodiles were captured to supply the growing number of farms, which produced skins for the fashion industry.  Certified Cambodian farms continue to supply skins and still export juveniles to neighboring countries.

​

Today, strong conservation efforts aim to reverse this trend. Mark Dainty and the Angkor W&A team, in collaboration with Rising Phoenix, are breeding and releasing Siamese crocodiles into carefully selected sites chosen for their remoteness, year-round water availability, landscape integrity and, most importantly, protection from poaching and bycatch. Little by little, the species is reclaiming parts of its former range, though the paradox remains that its survival still depends on a population far larger in captivity than in the wild.