Once ‘Extinct’ Crocodile Claws Its Way Back to Survival
Posted Nov 23 2009 10:01pm
Siamese crocodiles once ranged far and wide across South-east Asia, from Indonesia to Vietnam, Laos to Thailand. But habitat loss and poaching virtually wiped out the three-metre long animals. Twenty years ago they were classified as effectively extinct in the wild.
That seemingly terminal news was partially offset in 2000 when researchers discovered several dozen of them living in the wild in south-west Cambodia. Experts now believe there are 250 Siamese crocodiles living in the wild in the region, and almost all of those are in Cambodia.
Siamese crocodiles once ranged far and wide across South-east Asia, from Indonesia to Vietnam, Laos to Thailand. But habitat loss and poaching virtually wiped out the three-metre long animals. Twenty years ago they were classified as effectively extinct in the wild.
That seemingly terminal news was partially offset in 2000 when researchers discovered several dozen of them living in the wild in south-west Cambodia. Experts now believe there are 250 Siamese crocodiles living in the wild in the region, and almost all of those are in Cambodia.
Read More:http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49349