It isn’t often that crowds of people gather to celebrate the
intentional release of large, carnivorous animals into their
backyards. Yet that’s exactly what happened several weeks ago on
the Philippine island of Luzon, at the site of the country’s
first crocodile reintroduction project. Why the support for
these toothy reptiles? The reintroduction project has the
potential to benefit local communities in a variety of ways.
Crocodiles at Risk At less than three meters (almost 10 feet)
long, the Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) is
fairly small by crocodile standards, and, contrary to popular
belief, poses no threat to humans unless provoked. Although the
crocodiles previously inhabited rivers and lakes across the
Philippines, a combination of hunting, habitat loss and
pollution has caused the wild population to shrink to about 100
adult crocodiles. The IUCN Red List currently rates the
Philippine crocodile as Critically Endangered, and the IUCN
Crocodile Specialist Group considers it to be the worl