Finding Better Ways to Conserve Crocodiles

A handful of crocodiles in Bangladesh are being tagged to educate locals and bring about better conservation measures.

“Once we identify the home range and population of the crocodiles, the forest department will be able to prepare a proper conservation plan for the saltwater crocodiles,” says ABM Sarwar Alam, the program manager of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh.

For the first time in Asia, the Bangladesh forest department placed satellite transmitters on four saltwater crocodiles and released them. The tags will help researchers better understand the crocodiles’ habitat, their wander range, their nesting spots, and their lifecycle. Once the “home range” of the crocodiles is known, the Bangladesh government can put a proper crocodile conservation plan in place. Currently, the saltwater crocodile is critically endangered in Bangladesh, with an estimated 100-150 individuals as of 2015. The new satellite tagging will hopefully increase protections and eventually see a growing number of crocodiles in Bangladesh waters.