PHNOM PENH – Ten juvenile Siamese crocodiles have been released into Virachey National Park in northeastern Cambodia, marking the species’ reintroduction to this habitat after 20 years.

The species is listed as one of the world’s most endangered forest reptiles by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The release is a joint collaboration between the Fauna & Flora-Cambodia Programme, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and sub-national government administrations.

Pablo Sinovas, country director of the Fauna & Flora-Cambodia Programme said the organization, government partners and local communities have worked closely for 25 years to bring the species back from extinction.

“The team is releasing more and more juvenile crocodiles each year and we are  noticing positive signs of crocodiles breeding naturally in the wild,” Sinovas said.

The team also used the new acoustic telemetry technology, which employs sound to monitor the movements and survival of the crocodiles, helping to provide data for conservation.

Agriculture Minister Dith Tina praised the collaboration with partner organizations, particularly Fauna & Flora, in ensuring the preservation and growth of Siamese crocodile populations in the country.

“Since 2011, Siamese crocodiles have been successfully reintroduced in the Cardamom Mountain range twelve times. The ministry is committed to strengthening collaboration with the organization in natural resource conservation efforts,” Tina said.

Minister of Environment Eang Sophallet said the country has the highest number of Siamese crocodiles, thanks to ongoing conservation and protection efforts and despite the species being critically endangered.

Sophallet said the ministry has been actively enforcing laws to protect and conserve natural resources and biodiversity, including wildlife, which is essential to human well-being.

So far, around 200 Siamese crocodiles have been released into the remote and suitable habitats in the Cardamom Mountain range and 60 wild crocodile eggs have been recorded hatching at the site. They were thought to be extinct in the country until their rediscovery in 2000.

Virachey National Park in Ratanakiri province is a protected area in the northeast covering 110,000 hectares near the borders of Laos and Vietnam. The park was identified as a suitable habitat for Siamese crocodiles following three years of extensive studies conducted since 2021.

Fauna & Flora-Cambodia Programme, a non-governmental organization focused on protecting threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, has worked in Cambodia since 1997.