Title
Trial release of Siamese crocodiles in Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, Cambodia
Author(s)
Mahood, S.;Visal, S.;Sovannara, K.;Platt, S.G.
Published
2015
Publisher
Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter
Abstract
The Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is considered one
of the most critically endangered crocodilians in the world
(Simpson and Bezuijen 2010). During the past 50 years, wild
C. siamensis populations throughout Southeast Asia have
been decimated by illegal hunting for skins and meat, wanton
killing, government-sponsored extermination programs,
habitat loss, and over-collecting to stock commercial crocodile
farms (Platt and Tri 2000; Stuart and Platt 2000; Simpson and
Bezuijen 2010; Kanwatanakid-Savini et al. 2012; Bezuijen
et al. 2013; Guérin 2013). Furthermore, although hundreds
of thousands of C. siamensis are now held on commercial
crocodile farms in Southeast Asia, the genetic integrity of
this burgeoning captive population has been compromised
by widespread hybridization with estuarine (C. porosus)
and Cuban crocodiles (C. rhombifer) (Suvanakorn and
Youngprapakorn 1987; Thorbjarnarson 2001; FitzSimmons
et al. 2002; Starr et al. 2009).
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