For the Isabela trip, we had to
be at the mini-summit on day one and then headed off to San Mariano for the
release of head-started crocodiles from its rearing station to the wilds at Dunoy Lake still in San
Mariano but within the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP).
The group I was with were Zoo
Keepers and animal lovers from all over the world as well as sponsors of the
Philippine Crocodile Conservation Efforts since 1999. We were all ready to
rough it out in the wilds for the sake of the Philippine Crocodile, and indeed
we all had a great time sleeping on tents and riding on specially crafted six
wheeler trucks over mountains and hills!
The Philippines have saltwater or
estuarine crocs and freshwater crocs or the Crocodylus Mindorensis. For this
project, the foundation is specifically takes care of the freshwater crocs.
They are small (3 meters for male and 2.5 meters for the female) and are
endemic to the Philippines. They are now endangered because of hunting and
deforestation since they live in freshwater wetlands, creeks, rivers and
marshes. They feed on insects, snails, fish, birds and small animals. The
presence of a large number of people in the areas where they live impacts strongly
on their habitat being lost especially to large scale farming like kaingin or
slash and burn.
The release of 12 crocs at Dunoy
Lake was the highlight of the trip as seen in the pictures
At the end of the trip, the
reward was not just the freshwater crocodile experience but the bird watching
accounts were also very promising.
The group I was with were Zoo
Keepers and animal lovers from all over the world as well as sponsors of the
Philippine Crocodile Conservation Efforts since 1999. We were all ready to
rough it out in the wilds for the sake of the Philippine Crocodile, and indeed
we all had a great time sleeping on tents and riding on specially crafted six
wheeler trucks over mountains and hills!
The Philippines have saltwater or
estuarine crocs and freshwater crocs or the Crocodylus Mindorensis. For this
project, the foundation is specifically takes care of the freshwater crocs.
They are small (3 meters for male and 2.5 meters for the female) and are
endemic to the Philippines. They are now endangered because of hunting and
deforestation since they live in freshwater wetlands, creeks, rivers and
marshes. They feed on insects, snails, fish, birds and small animals. The
presence of a large number of people in the areas where they live impacts strongly
on their habitat being lost especially to large scale farming like kaingin or
slash and burn. 
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