Tears for Crocodilia by Fitzner Zach;

Author:Fitzner, Zach; [Fitzner, Zach]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Westholme Publishing

In the initial stages of Mabuwaya there was great success. An estimated population of twenty crocodiles in 2000 grew to more than one hundred in 2015, but there have been setbacks. The number today is down to eighty animals, partly due to bad storms and partly due to human killings.

Some projects also didn’t turn out as planned. Fifty captive-bred crocodiles were introduced to Dicatian Lake in 2010, but the introduction was a failure. Three years later the crocodiles had all disappeared, mostly dying of starvation. The animals hadn’t been trained to hunt and the habitat wasn’t great for them either. But a lot was learned about crocodile reintroduction from these mistakes, and van Weerd is still hopeful for more crocodiles in the Northern Sierra Madre of the Philippines in the future.

San Mariano is the large municipality filled with the Sierra Madre Mountains, river valleys, and fast-flowing streams. The higher reaches of the mountains maintain relatively pristine tropical forests, while the lower reaches are severely damaged by logging. The remaining permanent crocodile populations are found as far upstream as the reptiles can swim, but higher in the mountains (where the Natural Park is), the flow of the streams is too strong for crocodiles. Because of this, many crocodile populations are found near human populations. Inhabited by roughly 55,000 people living mostly in the main, synonymous village of San Mariano, the area has enough room for both crocodiles and human populations. After all, Philippine crocodiles make snails a large part of their diet, including the golden apple snail, an agricultural pest, which should help farmers. Not only that; the crocodile is a smaller species that won’t attack humans unless provoked. Unfortunately, for crocodiles to coexist with people, there must be understanding. Van Weerd told me that some people who don’t agree with crocodile conservation will kill the animals on sight, even if it’s illegal.

Despite the struggle and setbacks, what Mabuwaya has done is establish one of the first community based crocodile conservation programs of its type. Instead of creating a wall of separation between crocodiles and humans, the organization has promoted coexistence between two groups that have always lived together. This approach is perhaps more challenging but it also brings rewards of its own, allowing the crocodile its natural place in human culture.

For now this approach to crocodile conservation is working in the Philippines. In 2005, about six miles of Dinang Creek was declared a crocodile sanctuary, along with approximately ten feet of buffer zone on both banks. The creek held six human households in 1999, and today that’s grown to nearly a hundred households. Monitoring still finds crocodiles in the area and even one to three nests per year. How long human populations can swell without destroying crocodile populations is unclear. The key seems to be gaining local support. If humans love a crocodile, reintroduction and protection are possible. Respect for these animals is more important than financial gain. In the end it’s about showing people the intangible benefits of living with crocodiles.

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