Thai Campsite Closed After Crocodile Sightings

[churchill]

Bangkok - Officials have closed a popular campsite at a national park in eastern Thailand after repeated sightings of a pair of 2-metre-long crocodiles, media reports said Saturday. Khao Yai National Park officials have posted "beware of crocodiles" signs and temporarily closed a campsite near Lam Takhong creek in Khao Yai, 250 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, to facilitate a search for the reptiles, the Bangkok Post said.

The cautionary step was taken after local newspapers ran front-page photos of the crocodile couple taken by campers.

Thai veterinary experts speculated that the crocodiles are escapees from a commercial crocodile farm because Khao Yai has never been a natural habitat for the reptiles.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/28...-sightings.html

[Briggsy]

I would like to bet 3 things

1) The crocodiles have found their way there with some man-made help. It is inconceivable freshwater Siamese crocodiles have existed in Khao Yai without the knowledge of all the hundreds of researchers who do their theses there.

2) Pha Kluay Mai campsite is in the middle of Khao Yai. It is therefore highly unlikely these crocs swam about 80 km upstream having escaped and far more likely they were released near this spot. It is next to a popular road and campsite.

3) Most farmed crocs in Thailand are crosses between estuarine and Siamese crocodiles. I expect these to be found to be so.

[churchill]

1 of two large crocodiles at Khao Yai located

Nakhon Ratchasima - Park officials who are hunting for two large crocodiles in the Khao Yai National Park located one of them Saturday afternoon.

It was located at 3 pm near a small creak near the Orchid Cliff.

The park officials plan to capture the crocodile on Sunday as they need to wait for specialists first.

Officials have launched a massive hunt for the crocodiles after they were spotted in the park. They plan to capture them and release to another park with larger reservoir.

The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/30111...hao-Yai-located

-- The Nation 05/09/09

[Geekfreaklover]

Last time I at Khao Yai. There was supposed to be only one croc in the whole park. So yes, looks like they may have been 'planted' recently

[Goshawk]

I read this particular thread with a huge smile on my face...

here is a 'wild' crocodile that i saw and photographed within Khao Yai, along the riverside trail leading from Pha Gluay Mai Campsite to Heaw Suwat Waterfall - just a few km's down river from where i 'discovered' it, there were children playing in the river..

This was a whopping 2.5 years ago !!

So yes, i've known they were in Khao Yai for quite some time (and so have the Park Officials because i immediatley notified them - who incidently seriously doubted me til i showed them the photo's..) They are 'escapes' by the way..

[Samuian]

I saw it in the Thai News - think it was Channel 3 - they showed exactly the same picture - guess that thing lives on this tree trunk!

Maybe it's a students joke - something is wrong...the one sighted supposed to be 2 mtr. long - nothing compared to Aussi saltwater croc's!

By the way in the news the showed a sign at the camp site warning of "Crocdile".... TiT

[Goshawk]

I saw it in the Thai News - think it was Channel 3 - they showed exactly the same picture - guess that thing lives on this tree trunk!

Really !?!

Obviously they've lifted it from another web forum where i originally posted it a few years ago..

(Hmm... i may pursue £$£$ from 'em )

[PoorSucker]

Goshawk, it took 2.5 years for your report to reach the top.

[brahmburgers]

croc power! Alright.

Maybe someone will release some of the species that used to reside up here in northernmost Thailand. Currently, there aren't any wild mammals at all - other than a rare little squirrel.

Used to be a plethora. Too bad, I wouldn't mind seeing monkeys, leopards and the rest return some day. Strangely, there are birds which sound just like howler monkeys. Not surprisingly really, as some birds are excellent mimics, and that species (don't know which one) probably lived side by side with howlers for centuries.

[Carib]

Look at it at a positive side, this is nature protecting it`s self... Everybody out of the park !!!

[Goshawk]

Goshawk, it took 2.5 years for your report to reach the top.

yep.. as is accustomed and familiar, things sure do move at a swiftly pace in the L.O.S

[dre1247]

Bangkok - Officials have closed a popular campsite at a national park in eastern Thailand after repeated sightings of a pair of 2-metre-long crocodiles, media reports said Saturday. Khao Yai National Park officials have posted "beware of crocodiles" signs and temporarily closed a campsite near Lam Takhong creek in Khao Yai, 250 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, to facilitate a search for the reptiles, the Bangkok Post said.

The cautionary step was taken after local newspapers ran front-page photos of the crocodile couple taken by campers.

Thai veterinary experts speculated that the crocodiles are escapees from a commercial crocodile farm because Khao Yai has never been a natural habitat for the reptiles.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/28...-sightings.html

Hmmm, for all the people who always complain about mosquito bites, try a croc bite, makes you appreciate mosquito's... I guess.

[MaiChai]

Gosh, we were there last weekend and we were swimming in the water there with my kids! Yikes.

[dunrudin]

<br />croc power! Alright.<br /><br />Maybe someone will release some of the species that used to reside up here in northernmost Thailand. Currently, there aren't any wild mammals at all - other than a rare little squirrel.<br /><br />Used to be a plethora. Too bad, I wouldn't mind seeing monkeys, leopards and the rest return some day. Strangely, there are birds which sound just like howler monkeys. Not surprisingly really, as some birds are excellent mimics, and that species (don't know which one) probably lived side by side with howlers for centuries.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Brahmburger; your bird is a pheasant coucal. Great theory about mimicking howler monkeys, but they make the same sound in northern Australia. Maybe they're imitating the local polititians.

[crossroadschiangmai]

This picture I took in November 2007 while walking from Pak Kluai Mai campsite to Haew Suwat water fall. All the park rangers I talked with knew about this when I showed them the picture.

Hans

[PoorSucker]

Oldcroc have you been on vacation?

[trainman34014]

I don't know what the fuss is all about. Surely the Thai's will catch it , skin it, cook it and eat it.......problem solved!

[KhaoNiaw]

The park officials seem to have known about this for 5 or 6 years at least. One was saying that at least one of the crocs has been around since it was just a tiddler.

[Galong]

I don't know what the fuss is all about. Surely the Thai's will catch it , skin it, cook it and eat it.......problem solved!

Yep, if the rangers don't do that themselves, poachers who now know that they don't have to worry about tourists seeing them walking around the park will do it. Closing the park is a dumb idea. If they're really interested in safety, they should close all of the roads in Thailand!!!