A baby crocodile from Siam.
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AP Photo / Wildlife Conservation Society
Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand, on the border with Burma, posted photos of a Siamese crocodile this Saturday, January 23.
This is the second time such a specimen has been seen in ten years at this location, according to Manoon Prewsoongnern, a park official who works with the NGO World Conservation Society.
The freshwater reptile is “critically endangered”.
It is classified on the red list of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), which draws up an overall state of the conservation of animal and plant species.
An endangered #Siam #crocodile seen in a park in # Thailand
https://t.co/8mLyiy5G6l pic.twitter.com/jAzsjAnMJ1
- Hubert MESSMER 😷 🧘♂️ #RestezPrudents (@Zehub) January 23, 2021
Their skin is used to make luxury handbags
The Siamese crocodile was very present in Southeast Asia.
Today, these animals are only about twenty in the wild.
Their population has drastically decreased due to the disappearance of their habitat, but also to hunting.
They would be the target of poachers because of their skin which is used to make belts, shoes or even luxury handbags.
“The Siamese crocodile is a predator, but it is also one of the first victims of human damage to nature.
Being able to see it is therefore proof that the environment of the park is preserved, ”said the park manager.
The images were captured by a camera trap last December when the reptile, about three meters long, was on a bank.
It was the first time that this individual had been seen by the authorities.
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