SAN MARIANO, Isabela – Nineteen juvenile crocodiles embedded with radio transmitters were released in a lake in a far-flung Isabela village Thursday, in a bid to save the world’s most critically endangered species of this type of reptile. The 19 Philippine crocodiles (scientific name Crocodylus mindorensis) were released in a lake in Sitio Dunoy in Dibuluan village of this upland municipality, in an activity spearheaded by non-government Mabuwaya Foundation. Merlijn Van Weerd, the foundation’s project director, said the release of the young crocodiles, measuring on average 1.5 feet, is both historic and significant in the overall effort to spare the species from extinction. According to Van Weerd, the Philippine crocodile is the most severely threatened crocodile species in the world, and his group seeks to change its status for the better. “The crocodile is endemic to the Philippines; it occurs nowhere else. The total population surviving in the wild is estimated at only 100 mature individuals. The last wild Philippine crocodiles are restricted to northern Luzon and southwest Mindanao," Van Weerd said. “Philippine crocodiles are relatively small and pose no danger to humans unless provoked," he added. Van Weerd said the crocodiles, tagged for identification and with embedded radio transmitters so that they can be tracked more easily, are expected to survive in their natural habitat. Netherlands Ambassador to the Philippines Robert Brinks, who was present in the activity, said the release of the crocodile is important as it “sets an example to other parts of the world of (the) advocacy and support (for) crocodile conservation and protection." Brinks also lauded the village’s efforts in protecting crocodiles, after the San Mariano municipal council implemented laws banning the catching and killing of the said reptile. Apart from Dibuluan, five other villages in the town – Tappa, San Jose, Disulap, Cadsalan, and Guilingan – were also cited for similar efforts towards crocodile protection. “These released crocodiles, I hope, will not turn into a shoe or a belt or a leather bag," Brinks added. Other guests in the activity were some 24 students from the Netherlands and from the Isabela State University.
According to Weerd, Mabuwaya Foundation has been implementing the community-based crocodile preservation program funded by the UK-based Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation. The movements and adaptation of the 19 crocodiles will be monitored by the foundation and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to gather more scientific data to guide future crocodile reintroductions elsewhere. In July 2009, about 50 crocodiles were likewise released in Lake Dicatian in Divilacan town, also in Isabela. Past typhoons and floods, however, damaged the crocodile sanctuary in the area and the crocodiles were believed to have migrated to rivers there.—Joel Nueva/JMA/JV
