Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter Morning Glory Bush), Etc
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CROCODILE SPECIALIST GROUP NEWSLETTER VOLUME 33 No. 3 • JULY 2014 - SEPTEMBER 2014 IUCN • Species Survival Commission CSG Newsletter Subscription The CSG Newsletter is produced and distributed by the Crocodile CROCODILE Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The CSG Newsletter provides information on the conservation, status, news and current events concerning crocodilians, and on the SPECIALIST activities of the CSG. The Newsletter is distributed to CSG members and to other interested individuals and organizations. All Newsletter recipients are asked to contribute news and other materials. The CSG Newsletter is available as: • Hard copy (by subscription - see below); and/or, • Free electronic, downloadable copy from “http://www.iucncsg. GROUP org/pages/Publications.html”. Annual subscriptions for hard copies of the CSG Newsletter may be made by cash ($US55), credit card ($AUD55) or bank transfer ($AUD55). Cheques ($USD) will be accepted, however due to increased bank charges associated with this method of payment, cheques are no longer recommended. A Subscription Form can be NEWSLETTER downloaded from “http://www.iucncsg.org/pages/Publications. html”. All CSG communications should be addressed to: CSG Executive Offi ce, P.O. Box 530, Karama, NT 0813, Australia. VOLUME 33 Number 3 Fax: (61) 8 89470678. E-mail: [email protected]. JULY 2014 - SEPTEMBER 2014 PATRONS IUCN - Species Survival Commission We thank all patrons who have donated to the CSG and its conservation program over many years, and especially to CHAIRMAN: donors in 2013-2014 (listed below). Professor Grahame Webb PO Box 530, Karama, NT 0813, Australia Big Bull Crocs! ($15,000 or more annually or in aggregate donations) Japan, JLIA - Japan Leather & Leather Goods Industries EDITORIAL AND EXECUTIVE OFFICE: Association, CITES Promotion Committee & Japan Reptile PO Box 530, Karama, NT 0813, Australia Leather Industries Association, Tokyo, Japan. Heng Long Leather Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore. Hermes Cuirs Precieux, Paris, France. Printed by: Uniprint NT Singapore Reptile Skin Trade Association, Singapore. Charles Darwin University, NT 0909, Australia Species Management Specialists, Canberra, ACT, Australia. United Leather Product Co. Ltd. and Nakorn Sawan Crocodile Farm, Thailand. COVER PHOTOGRAPH: Tomistoma habitat in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan Indonesia. Friends ($3000 - $15,000) Photograph: Bruce Shwedick. Ashley and Associates, Florida, USA. William Belo, Coral Agri-Venture Farm, Philippines. CAICSA, Colombia. Captain Morgan Rum, South Carolina, USA. EDITORIAL POLICY: All news on crocodilian conservation, Conservation Force, Louisiana, USA. research, management, captive propagation, trade, laws and Crocodile Conservation Institute, South Carolina, USA. regulations is welcome. Photographs and other graphic materials Dallas Safari Club, Texas, USA. are particularly welcome. Information is usually published, as Ethiopian Rift Valley Safaris, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. submitted, over the authorʼs name and mailing address. The editors International Reptile Leather Association (IRV), Germany. also extract material from correspondence or other sources and these items are attributed to the source. If inaccuracies do appear, please Mainland Holdings, Lae, Papua New Guinea. call them to the attention of the editors so that corrections can be Phillip Cunliffe-Steel, New Zealand/Australia. published in later issues. The opinions expressed herein are those of Enrico Chiesa, Italhide, Italy. the individuals identifi ed and are not the opinions of CSG, the SSC Yee Tai Leather Enterprise Ltd., Hong Kong. or the IUCN unless so indicated. 2 Supporters ($1000 - $3000) where Tomistoma occurs and where the CSG-Tomistoma Shaun Foggett, Crocodiles of the World, Witngy, Oxon, Task Force has been doing some work. I have subsequently UK. written to the Indonesian authorities seeking their support to J. Perran Ross, Gainesville, Florida, USA. add the Siamese crocodile to the list of ʻPriorityʼ endangered George Saputra, CV Alona Jaya, Jakarta, Indonesia. species for conservation in Indonesia, which is currently Los Angeles Zoo, California, USA. under review. The full report on this mission is now being St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Florida, USA. drafted, and a summary is on pages 4-5. Porosus Pty. Ltd., NT, Australia. Toronto Zoo, Ontario, Canada. The Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen has now Yosapong Temsiripong, “Sriracha Moda” and “Crocodile & formally given approval for the Department of Fisheries Ostrich Cooperative of Thailand”, Thailand. Conservation to host a CSG regional meeting, on 25-29 May Virginia Aquarium and and Marine Science Center 2015, at Seam Reap. This will be a good opportunity for CSG Foundation, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. members to familiarize themselves with the conservation and Zambia Crocodile Farmers Association, Lusaka, Zambia. management challenges in this region, and the efforts being Zoo Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. made by many people to overcome them. Details will soon be Zoo Miami, Florida, USA. available on the CSG website and the meeting website. Contributors ($250 - $1000) The 3rd West and Central Africa CSG regional meeting East Coast Zoological Society (Brevard Zoo), FL, USA. scheduled to be held in Abidjan, Cote dʼIvoire, was once again Simone Comparini, Pantera S.R.L., S. Croce s/Arno, Italy. a new opportunity to help and promote crocodile conservation Crocodile Park, Malaga, Spain. work in this part of Africa. However,the meeting has had to J.K. Mercado & Sons Agriculture Emterprises Inc., be postponed due to the Ebola epidemic in the region and Philippines. the uncertainty regarding its containment in the short-term. A James Hennessey, The Reptile Village Zoo, UK. tentative date for the meeting is in February or March 2015, The Ebey family, New Mexico, USA. but this has yet to be confi rmed. Marco Schultz, Germany. Matt Shirley has advanced his report on Ethiopia, which Editorial is extensive and very insightful. The Ethiopian ranching program has some quite unique management associated with In June 2014, Dr. Paolo Martelli and Dr. Cathy Shilton (Co- it, that all helps insure sustainability. The previous trophy Chairs of the CSG Veterinary Science group) participated hunting component of its program, likewise, involves small in a joint meeting with fellow veterinarians on the possible numbers of animals taken and is also likely to be sustainable. establishment of a Centre for Crocodile Veterinary Work But with it comes active management by those with the at Mahidol University, in Thailand (see page 6). Given the hunting concession, to add to what Government can devote. thousands of crocodile farms from village level upward in the There is considerable room to upgrade the program, fi nd ways Southeast Asia region, the sporadic impact of new diseases of reducing confl ict with fi shermen, and increase the benefi ts within crocodile farming generally, and the increasing focus extended to local people. It will be an important report. on skin quality, having a dedicated centre would simply be wonderful. South African National Parks has confi rmed and committed to host the 24th CSG Working Meeting, from 23-26 May In August 2014, I accompanied a CSG team comprising 2016, at the Nombolo Mdhluli Conference Centre, Skukuza Lonnie McCaskill, Bruce Shwedick, Matthew Brien and Rest Camp, Kruger National Park, South Africa. This will be Widodo Ramono, to Indonesia on a fact-fi nding mission to preceded by a CSG Standing Committee meeting on 22 May. discuss crocodile conservation and management issues. We Once again this represents a great opportunity for members to met with Central Government offi cers in Jakarta to discuss get an understanding of the challenges involved in crocodile Indonesiaʼs crocodile management program, and the extent conservation in South Africa. It has been 22 years since a to which the current Appendix-II listing for Crocodylus CSG working meeting was held in Africa, and we hope that porosus, based on ranching, was still appropriate. Human- the meeting will also highlight the range of issues that face crocodile confl ict is increasing in Indonesia, and pressure crocodilians in one of the CSGʼs largest and most diverse is being mounted to do something about it. Over and above regions. attacks reported in the press, there are many attacks that are not reported. We also visited crocodile farms in the Medan As many CSG members are aware, some animal rights area, Sumatra, which appear to be operating effectively. organizations have been making political interventions The team then continued to East Kalimantan, to meet with aimed at preventing any crocodilian skin products being sold Provincial Government offi cers and representatives of in the State of California, USA: the 9th largest economy in the oil palm industry, to determine how to better protect the world. It was a pleasure to learn that Governor Brown the wetlands of Lake Mesangat, which contains both of California recently signed Bill AB2075, which extended Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) and Tomistoma the sunset clause for the legal sale of crocodilian products (Tomistoma schlegelii). Bruce Shwedick then continued in California to 1 January 2019. Our many thanks go to Don on to Tanjung Puting and Danau Sentarum National Parks, Ashley for his tireless efforts on this issue. 3 Despite CSG membership being large (500+), we are always in Jakarta, with representatives from the