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A wild baby crocodile found in the Cat Tien National Park.
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Cat Tien National Park’s forest rangers have discovered four wild baby crocodiles.
According to park managers, the baby crocodiles were born to crocodiles previously released in the park under a programme to preserve fresh-water crocodiles (crocodylus siamensis) in Bau Sau, Cat Tien.
The discovery, made on October 9, shows that bred crocodiles can still give birth after release in the wild. However, since the community of baby crocodiles is still small the park is supervising and protecting the babies to ensure their development.
Before the fresh-water crocodile preservation programme was kicked off, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development assisted Cat Tien National Park and HCM City Tropical Biological Institute to conduct research into the ecological system in Bau Sau to serve the preservation of fresh-water crocodiles.
The fresh-water crocodile preservation programme began in 2000 and so far 60 bred crocodiles have been released in Bau Sau after genetic testing.
The discovery will contribute to speeding up the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s process to recognise Bau Sau wetlands for international significance under the Ramsar Convention.
On June 23, the Prime Minister permitted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to register Bau Sau in the Ramsar list of wetland sites with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.
The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are currently 146 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1463 wetland sites, totalling 125.4mil hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
VIETNAMNET - (13/10/2005)
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