CROCODILES Proceedings of the 21st Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN convened at Manila, Philippines, 22-25 May 2012 Dedicated to the late Charles “Andy” Ross (1953-2011) (Unreviewed) International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196, Gland, Switzerland 2012 1 Front cover: Philippine Crocodile, Crocodylus mindorensis. © Crocodylus Porosus Philippines Inc. Inner front cover: Charles “Andy” Ross. © Tom Dacey Literature citations should read as follows: For individual articles: [Authors]. (2012). [Article title]. Pp. [page numbers] in Crocodiles. Proceedings of the 21st Working Meeting of the IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group. IUCN: Gland, Switzerland. For the volume: Crocodile Specialist Group (2012). Crocodiles. Proceedings of the 21st Working Meeting of the IUCN- SSC Crocodile Specialist Group. IUCN: Gland, Switzerland. © 2012 CSG - Crocodile Specialist Group The designation of geographical entities in this book and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The opinions expressed in this colume are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent official policy of the IUCN or CSG or its members. Reproduction of this publication for educational and other non-commercial purposes is authorized from the copyright holder, provided the source is cited and the copyright holder receives copy of the reproduced material. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior permission of the copyright holder. 2 Table of Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Summary of the Meeting ........................................................................................................................................ 8 Hosts, Sponsors and Donors ..................................................................................................................................... 10 List of Participants .................................................................................................................................................... 11 Life and Work of Andy Ross Ross, F.D. How C. Andy Ross got into crocodiles, and some Fuchs content ......................................................... 19 Ross, F.D. C. Andy Ross papers, crocodile scales and Angel Alcala ...................................................................... 31 Research and Conservation Efforts on Crocodiles in the Philippines Lim, T.M.S. National scenario of the crocodile conservation in the Philippines ................................................... 49 Van Weerd, M., Balbas, M., van de Ven, W., Rodriguez, D., Telan, S.,Guerrero, J., Jose, E., Macadangdang, A., Calapoto, W., van der Ploeg, J., Cureg, M., Araño, R. and Antolin, A. Philippine Crocodile conservation in NE Luzon: An update and a proposal for a National Philippine Crocodile Reintroduction Strategy ................ 49 Manolo, R.I., Belo, W.T., Mercado, V.P., Solco, B.O. and Biñan, Jr. A.J. Distribution and status of crocodiles in Agusan Marsh, Eastern Mindanao, Philippines ............................................................................................. 50 Conservation Issues Hedegaard, R. Establishing a European support program for Philippine Crocodile recovery ................................ 58 Cureg, M.C., Van Weerd, M., Balbas, M.G. and Van der Ploeg, J. Environmental education mobilizes community support for Philippine Crocodile conservation: something to be proud of! ........................................................ 58 Pul, N., Van der Ploeg, J., Balbas, M., Macadangdang, A., Persoon, G., Cureg, M.C. and Van Weerd, M. Using participatory video filming to engage people in the conservation of the Philippine Crocodile ......................... 59 Phothitay, C. and Hallam, C. Status of Siamese Crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) in Lao PDR ......................... 64 Hallam, C.D, Thongsavath, P., Outhanekone, P. and Platt, S.G. Community-based crocodile conservation for Siamese Crocodiles in Lao PDR ......................................................................................................................... 64 Castro, A., Merchán, M., Garcés, M., Cárdenas, M. and Gómez, F. New data on the conservation status of the Orinoco Crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) in Colombia .............................................................................. 65 Fukuda, Y., Webb, G., Manolis, C., Delaney, R., Letnic, M., Lindner, G. and Whitehead, P. Recovery of Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) following unregulated hunting in tidal rivers of the Northern Territory of Australia .............................................................................................................................................................. 74 Larriera, A., Siroski, P., Piña, C. and Imhof, A. Ranching of Caiman latirostris and Caiman yacare in Argentina: where a problem becomes a livelihood .............................................................................................................. 89 Botero-Arias, R., Marmontel, M. and Filho, S.S. The illegal use of caimans as bait for fishing of Piracatinga, Calophysis macropterus, in the Middle Solimoes River, Brazil ........................................................................ 94 Human-Crocodile Conflict Elorde, E.G. Rescue of the world’s largest crocodile: an effort of local Government Unit of Bunawan to address human-crocodile coexistence ........................................................................................................... 94 Britton, A.R.C., Whitaker, R. and Whitaker, N. Lolong and other dragons: maximum size in crocodilians ......... 95 Campbell, H., Dwyer, R.G. and Franklin, C.E. The behaviour of Crocodylus porosus around an area of high human visitation ................................................................................................................................................. 100 Rodriguez, D., Van Weerd, M., Van der Ploeg, J., Van de Ven, W., Telan, S., Balbas, M. and Guerrero, J. People’s attitudes towards the reintroduction of the Philippine Crocodile in Dicatian Lake ........................................... 105 Sideleau, B. and Britton, A. A preliminary analysis of worldwide crocodilian attacks ........................................... 111 Conservation and Management Nair, T., Thorbjarnarson, J.B., Aust, P. and Krishnaswamy, J. Identifying individual Gharials to estimate population size, and determinants of habitat use in the Chambal River, India ................................................... 115 Malla, S., Pradhan, N.M.B., Gurung, G.S. and Khadka, B.B. Gharial conservation initiatives in Nepal ............... 124 Pine, A.K. A newly founded non-profit organisation focused on contributing towards the better understanding and conservation of Tomistoma (Tomistoma schlegelii) ..................................................................................... 135 Elsey, R. and Kinler, N. The management of American Alligators in Louisiana, USA: a history, review and update ................................................................................................................................................................. 136 Fukuda, Y., Saalfeld, K., Easton, B., Webb, G., Manolis, C. and Brien, M. Crocodile management and research in the Northern Territory of Australia, 2008-2011 ............................................................................................. 149 3 Pearcy, A. Assessing crocodile conservation potential in unprotected, rural South Africa ...................................... 158 Boede, E. The extinction of the Orinoco Crocodile in the Guárico River, Venezuela ........................................... 162 Montero-Bolanos, J. American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) (Crocodylia: Crocodylidae) (Cuvier 1807); population status in the Great Tempisque Wetland ........................................................................................... 167 Ulloa Delgado, G.A. and Sierra Díaz, C.L. Conservation of Crocodylus acutus by local communities in the mangroves of Cispata Bay, Cordoba, Colombia, South America ...................................................................... 179 Ulloa Delgado, G.A. and Peláez Montes, J.M. Preliminary Management plan for the conservation of populations of Caiman Aguja (Crocodylus acutus, Cuvier 1807) at Sardinata, San Miguel, New President and Tibu Rivers, Norte de Santander, Colombia .............................................................................................. 179 Benitez Diez, H. Monitoring program of Morelet’s Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) Mexico-Belize- Guatemala ........................................................................................................................................................... 180 Botero-Arias, R. and Marioni, B. Criteria and basis for implementing a management system of Brazilian Amazonian caimans ............................................................................................................................................ 180 Kula, V. and Solmu, G. Update on wild crocodile population nesting trends in Papua New