Detroit Zoo-bred Siamese crocodiles to be released in Cambodia

ROYAL OAK, Mich. -

Ten Siamese crocodiles that hatched at the Detroit Zoo earlier this summer are on their way to being released out into the wild of Cambodia, marking the first time captive-bred Siamese crocodile hatchlings will be released in the wild.

In a statement Wednesday, the zoo said the critically-endangered crocodiles were born at the zoo in June and transferred in July to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in Florida. From there, they’ll be taken to Cambodia and released in protected areas.

The zoo said the female Siamese crocodile laid 22 eggs in a nest. Half of the eggs were removed from the nest and placed into incubators, while the remaining eggs were left in the nest. Over several days in early June, six crocodiles hatched in the nest and five in the incubators.

“We didn’t want to put all of our eggs in one basket, so to speak,” said Scott Carter, chief life sciences officer at the Detroit Zoological Society. “We are able to maintain temperature-and moisture-control parameters and simulate nest conditions found in the wild during the incubation period.”

The Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is a medium-sized crocodilian found in the wetlands and waterways of Southeast Asia. There are estimated to be around 250 adult Siamese crocodiles remaining in the wild. The decline of the species is due to habitat loss, degradation of the habitat by humans and the poaching of both crocodiles and their eggs for farms and the skin trade.

source: http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/detroit-zoobred-siamese-crocodiles-to-be-released-in-cambodia/34931044