crocs

Stunned! The reports of crocodile sightings in Singapore is great. I've always been fascinated by the local saltwater crocs. See http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22291/story.htm and http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=2013&icid=4&d_str=20080806

Thing is it would be greater if they would leave the crocs alone. They're obviously escaped or released specimens. Saltwater crocodiles are practically extinct in Singapore now (except for the one in Sungei Buloh). Remember back 30 yrs when the Jurong Chinese Gardens first opened and there were warnings along the bank about crocodiles? Well they're all gone now .... a terrible tragedy for local wildlife. Singapore should be proud of its unique fauna and start a conservation programme for such rare reptiles and, turning it positively, start eco-tourism (like Sungei Buloh), to make the programme self-running. BTW the websites on the Sungei Buloh specimen is always portraying it as a man-eater and dangerous. Very unlikely for a 5 foot juvenile - and most probably not even an indigenous saltwater specimen: it's more likely a freshwater specimen that escaped and grew in the estuary. Just simply leave it alone - it's probably the last of its kind (if its a true salty) so let it enjoy it's last moment on the planet.

Other than Australia, I don't think there's any other SEA country interested in its indigenous crocodiles. Thailand is trying to reintroduce captivity bred crocs back into its rivers, but they're not the original species. Those've been extinct quite some time now. And .... in Israel the last native croc killed was 60 years back in the Crocodilion river near Caesarea Maritima. Now in Israel you'll only find the biblical croc in the pages of the Bible.

You know, once they're gone, they're gone! It'll be too late for regrets .... but as if anyone cares!

* Just found a website saying in 2005 they actually caught a croc from Sungei Kranji and released it in Sungei Buloh to be with the one already resident there. Hmmm I still have my suspicions if these are real salties. Check out http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/index.php?entry=/nature/20051214-kranji_crocodile.txt