PHNOM PENH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- A nest with 19 eggs of the critically endangered Siamese crocodile was spotted in the Sre Ambel River in southwest Cambodia's Koh Kong province for the first time in six years, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said in a statement on Wednesday.
Conservationists from the Cambodian Fisheries Administration (FiA), WCS and local communities found the nest while searching for tracks, signs, and dung of wild crocodiles in the area.
"This is the first Siamese crocodile nest recorded in six years of research and protection in the Sre Ambel River system," the statement said.
Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as critically endangered because its global population is declining at alarming rate.
This species lives only in Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, the statement said, adding that its global population is around 410 adult Siamese crocodiles, while between 100 and 300 wild adult Siamese crocodiles live in Cambodia, making it the most important country for the species.
Siamese crocodile faces many threats to their survival. In Cambodia, threats include illegal hunting of adults and hatchlings and collecting of eggs to supply crocodile farms in Cambodia and Thailand, especially during the last two decades, it said.
Other threats are degradation of habitats, decrease of natural food, low chance of breeding in the wild due to low number of individuals in the wild and weak law enforcement such as regulations on crocodile farming and trading, the statement added.
"I am delighted to see this Siamese crocodile nest because previously we found only its tracks and dung. This is the first nest of Siamese crocodile found on the Sre Ambel in six years," said In Hul, FiA counterpart staff of WCS.
"To avoid any threats, we moved the eggs to a safe place to hatch and track their progress," he added.
The Sre Ambel River is also home to the rare royal turtle and Asian giant softshell turtle.
