IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group in Lakeland, Florida | Non-profit organisation

IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group

Locality: Lakeland, Florida

Phone: +61 8 8922 4500

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25.01.2022 Name: Edem Archibong Eniang Location: Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria Organisation: Biodiversity Preservation Center (BPC), Nigeria. Main involvement with crocodilians: Research, Management, Education Current Projects: Participatory community management and conservation of the Long-snouted Crocodile and West African Crocodile in southern Nigeria.... Past Projects: Nationwide survey of the perception of crocodiles and farming in Nigeria, as well as crocodile occurrence in Bushmeat markets of southern Nigeria As a passionate Crocodile Researcher, Edem aims to spend the next decade working with other stakeholders to conserve Crocodylus suchus and Mecistops cataphractus in Nigeria. See more

25.01.2022 Check out some nesting and courtship behavior of Tomistoma schlegelii. Happy World Tomistoma Day! #worldtomistomaday

25.01.2022 Name: Fridah Obare Location: Nairobi, Kenya Organisation: Kenya Wildlife Service Main involvement with crocodilians: Research, Management, Government Authority, Education. Past Projects: Case study on Nile crocodile trade, a program aimed at diversifying sources of livelihood by mitigating resource-use conflicts and human-wildlife conflicts. Grassroots community members collect C niloticus eggs seasonally from zones delineated along the Tana River system and sell them to croc...odile ranching facilities for breeding purposes. Fridah has a Master of Science in Conservation Biology from the University of Nairobi, and BSc in Wildlife Management. SHe currently works with the Kenya Wildlife Service, and is interested in reptile conservation and regulatory framework that ensures sustainable utilisation of wildlife resources in cognisant with community needs. See more

24.01.2022 Name: Annabelle Olsson Location: Queensland, Australia Organisation: Boongarry Veterinary Services; Korrorook Wildlife Rehabilitation and Research Centre. Main Involvement with crocodilians: Research, Trade/Industry, Zoos/Wildlife Parks, Personal Interest. Current Projects: Development of improved health and welfare standards in farmed crocodiles; skin diseases including vector-borne diseases.... Past Projects: Safe chemical restraint protocols; Habitat utilisation and evaluation of strategies for managing problem crocodiles; Surgical management of large saltwater crocodiles, including forensic investigation. Annabelle is a veterinarian working with wild and captive crocodiles for 30 years. Her focus is research on health and disease, particularly to protect spillover to vulnerable wild populations. See more

24.01.2022 Following a successful programme of webinars organised and hosted by the CSG LAC Regional Office, where Juan-Carlos Vasquez of the CITES Secretariat gave a presentation on wildlife trade considerations in a post-Covid-19 world, we are pleased to announce that Juan-Carlos has agreed to make the presentation again, this time in English. We therefore invite you to join the CSGs Facebook Live page on Tuesday, 21 st July at 12 pm (GMT).

23.01.2022 The timing of the presentation has changed to 12PM (Midday) GMT, 21 July 2020.

23.01.2022 Launch of Croc Watch! VNC is glad to announce the launch of the Croc Watch, a citizen science program. The initiative aims to collect information on the thre...e crocodilian species found in India and to create a database that can aid in the research and conservation of these species. The project relies on participation of individuals to contribute to sightings and other information. We are looking for records and/or images of the crocodilians species in India. So, if you sight any crocodilian species from India. You can submit your data on the croc watch portal and can be a part of a wonderful citizen science initiative- Croc Watch. Register for a special three-day Croc Watch event from 8th - 10th January 2021, to celebrate the launch of the initiative, and get a certificate. Individuals contributing significantly and genuinely might win a gift from VNC. So giddy up, and visit https://cw.vncindia.org/ for registration and more information. #CrocWatch #CitizenScience #CrocodileConservation #VNCIndia

22.01.2022 G’day and thank you to all... Winter CrocFest 2020 (aka COVID CrocFest!) is history now... $45K for new conservation work in East Timor! Thank you to our host..., Wild Florida, to our sponsors: Rodent Pro, Ophiological Services, Timberline, Reptile Industries, ZooMed, Gourmet Rodent, Mazuri, and Family Reptiles, to our donors, and to our supporters, far and wide!!! See more

22.01.2022 delighted to share that our manuscript "Human-Crocodilian interactions in Latin America and the Caribbean Region" has been accepted for publication in Conservat...ion Science and Policy! Thanks to my co-authors Pablo Siroski, Lu Fernández, Paulino Ponce and Brandon Sideleau, handling ed Silvio Marchini and constructive anonymous reviewers. Pablo, who is regional chair of the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG) Latin America & Caribbean Region, and I had this idea back in 2018 - linked to the CSG working group meeting in Argentina. We got survey responses from 23 countries, running the survey in 2018 and he and Lu pursuing it again in 2020. We received insights from some great on-the-ground managers and local experts in 5 Caribbean, 8 Central American, and 10 South American countries. In addition to all those informed people who responded (listed in supplementary materials - thanks), I consulted regional experts to help me understand regional situations better, including my co-authors, Zilca Campos, Ronis Da Silveira, Sergio A. Balaguera-Reina and others - who all had to be patient with me - lots of Google translate required (for me), so thanks (and any mistakes are mine). I had hand-scribbled maps all over my office (turned into nice maps by the amazing Malcolm Kelsey), to get my head around this incredible, vast, complex region - with the most crocodilian species on earth. Ours is a very preliminary, but I believe the first overview of human-croc interactions of conservation importance across the region, which we wanted to share (great journal for this!), and we hope to set up a network of communications and info sharing going forward.

22.01.2022 a short intro to gharial and what makes them special includes video shorts from Gharial Ecology Project

21.01.2022 Very excited to be sharing my love of gharial with young people through the National Geographic Explorer Classroom tomorrow! The Explorer Classroom is aimed at young people of school age, who can sign up to join in and ask me some questions! - Phoebe Griffith Register https://www.nationalgeographic.org//explorer-cla/sessions/

21.01.2022 Dear CSG members The following message from Paola Mosig Reidl, CONABIO, Mexico, provides advice on the postponement of the 26th CSG Working Meeting until 21-27 November 2021. Refer to the attached links for details. The organisers will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation, and confirmation of these new dates will be expected around the beginning of May 2021. The venue remains the same Chetumal Convention Centre, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico. ... Best regards Tom Dacey ..."The organizers of the 26th meeting of the CSG-IUCN have been analyzing the situation of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) on a daily basis, as well as the precautionary measures taken by international, national and sub-national authorities; including restrictions on international flights. Based on this, and after consultations, they have decided to postpone the event until 2021 (May 1rd to 6th), keeping the same venue, program, workshops and registration fees paid (that will be valid for 2021). Meanwhile, the organizers have initiated the arrangements for this change of date, and have recommended official hotels to facilitate date changes in previous reservations. Changes in travel arrangements should be resolved by each participant in accordance to airlines policies regarding COVID-19. We invite you to keep yourself posted as new information develops at: https://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/planeta/csg2020/index.html"

21.01.2022 Name: Elie Tobi Location: Gamba, Gabon Organisation: Smithsonian Institution, NZP-CCS, Gabon Biodiversity Program Main Involvement with Crocodilians: Research, Education Current Projects: Writing the African Dwarf Crocodile Action Plan; Planning a crocodile monitoring program in Gamba, Gabon.... Past Projects: Nile crocodile movement monitoring in Gamba, and monitoring the reproduction dynamics. Elie has been involved in a broad biodiversity monitoring and assessment program in Gabon, now managing the country's biodiversity collection. See more

21.01.2022 Name: Gabriel Hoinsoude Segniagbeto Location: Lome, Togo Organisation: University of Lome. Main involvement with crocodilians: Research, Government Authority Current Projects: Research on conservation status and distribution of crocodiles in Togo; Evaluation of distribution, genetic/population/conservation status of crocodiles in Togo.... Past Projects: Research on conservation status and distribution of crocodiles in Togo Gabrielexpert of the taxonomy of West African reptiles and amphibians and am currently conducting research on the ecology and conservation of West African reptiles, amphibians and mammals. I am currently conducting master training programme at the University of Lome on ecology and wildlife management with the participation of international scientists. See more

20.01.2022 Big thanks to Shaun Foggett, Colin Stevenson, and the Crocodiles of the World team for showing us their Tomistoma schlegelii nest and egg collection. This is their Facebook Live video, and it has been edited slightly. Congratulations for 20 eggs in 2020! #WorldTomistomaDay

20.01.2022 Name: Clement Sullibie Saagulo Naabeh Location: Ashanti Region, Ghana Organisation: Threatened Species Conservation Alliance (THRESCOAL) Main involvement with crocodilians: Research, Management, Government Authority, Tourism, Education, Personal Interest Current Projects: Urban Crocodile Conservation in Ghana.... Past Projects: Community-based crocodile management in Ghana, Nesting ecology of dwarf crocodiles in Ghana. Clement's interest and conservation work on crocodiles covers awareness raising through conservation education programs, and biological and ecological research in both urban and non-urban environments. See more

19.01.2022 Crazy sequence while out and about Lake Apopka Florida. Great Blue Heron eating a large juvenile alligator.

19.01.2022 Crocodylus checchiai... from the late Miocene...is related to the Neotropical taxa and..., therefore representing the missing link between the African and the American lineages. #FossilFriday

19.01.2022 The new volume of CSG Newsletter is available now. You can find it http://www.iucncsg.org//ba655dee3c4c9096c917bbc62d7e5fef.p

19.01.2022 Beautiful mama Tomistoma, laying her eggs. #WorldTomistomaDay ... "We hope your u managed to watch the Facebook live video this morning of the team collecting the Tomistoma eggs, apologies for a few technical issues. We thought we would share some really cool pics and vids captured by our croc keeper Clare yesterday evening. Make sure you watch the video in the next post. Its amazing #WorldTomistomaDay2020 #CrocodilesOfTheWorld ... Reposting @crocodilesoftheworlduk @ Crocodiles of the World See more

18.01.2022 We are thrilled to announce that our host facility for Summer CrocFest on 26 June 2021 is ZooTampa at Lowry Park!! The beneficiary for Summer CrocFest will be ...the Gharial (Gharial Ecology Project, Dr Jeffrey Lang and associates). We look forward to seeing everyone there! Please share and help us spread the word. See more

17.01.2022 Name: Samson Samuel Location: County Kildare, Ireland Organisation: Kings Farms Crocodile and Conservation Ltd, Ibadan, Nigeria. Main involvement with crocodilians: Industry/Trade, Tourism, Personal Interest Current Projects: Crocodile conservation education program aimed at hunters and sellers in the bushmeat trade.... Past Projects: Conservation of the West African dwarf crocodile Samson is a lifelong lover of reptiles, with a growing interest in crocodilians. See more

17.01.2022 Check out this new YouTube channel by one of our members, Brandon Sideleau! Surprise everyone! Today we are launching our new YouTube series CrocBITEs. Here is the first episode, in which I look into three bits of crocodilian-related misinformation from the past two decades. We will be doing many more of these in the future and I will be joined by guests. Enjoy!- https://youtu.be/vaWsVlUhzpE

16.01.2022 Colin Stevenson, Vice Chair of the Tomistoma Task Force is here to tell us how the TTF was started, and its role in the IUCN Species Survival Commission Crocodile Specialist Group

16.01.2022 Beautiful How many baby Gharials can you count?

16.01.2022 CROCODILES will soon be welcoming tourists and returning residents into the Top End, with a new sniffer croc biosecurity service on patrol to detect illegal items. More on The NT News https://www.ntnews.com.au//ff01fe09f3356ab3d49fce3647f77605

14.01.2022 Vladimir Dinets Front cover of our book (with Gordon Burghardt and Sean Doody, foreword by Gordon Schuett, front cover photo by Udayan Rao Pawar), to be published next year by Johns Hopkins. Can be pre-ordered at https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Social-Lives-Re//ref=sr_1_1

14.01.2022 Third video of @Colin Stevenson, Vice Chair of the Tomistoma Task Force telling us more details about Tomistoma.

12.01.2022 Celebrate the 5th World Tomistoma Day! Happening on August 5, 2020. #WorldTomistomaDay If you have an event or fundraiser happening for crocodile conservation, let us know and well help spread the word.

11.01.2022 Got a really good news from the field! Our Amante Yogyog and Sanctuary Guards counted 8 baby crocodiles in Dunoy Lake 2. We never expected this as we did 2 nest... surveys and found nothing! Cheers everyone ! #SynchronicityEarth #zoosvictoria #whitleyfundfornature #europianzoos

11.01.2022 Check out this great World Tomistoma Day video from the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center! Many thanks to Chip Harshaw, member of the Tomistoma Task Force and CSG member, and the entire team for making this great video and continuing to promote crocodilian conservation. #WorldTomistomaDay

11.01.2022 First Live Chat The Drone Working Group will host its first Live Chat (using Zoom) on 18 September 2020. Bring your questions and ideas about using drones in research, management and conservation. A second Live Chat session to accommodate participants in other time zones will be announced in due course. Specific details required to join the first Live Chat are:... Date: 18 September 2020 Time: 1900 h Eastern Time (USA and Canada) Zoom Meeting ID: 97170593876 Zoom Meeting Password: 823783 See the webpage for the Zoom Link: http://www.iucncsg.org/pages/Virtual-UAS-Workshop.html

11.01.2022 Scott Pfaff, Curator of Herpetology at the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens and member of the Tomistoma Task Force and IUCN SSC CSG: He is going to tell us more about the conservation of Tomistoma schlegelii and show us a feeding session of their Tomistoma. #worldtomistomaday #savingspecies

09.01.2022 Second video of @Colin Stevenson, Vice Chair of the Tomistoma Task Force is giving us more information about the species and Tomistoma Task force!!!

09.01.2022 https://youtu.be/MhyrUu75e-I

08.01.2022 All hail Darth Gator Shop: tylerlamph.com

07.01.2022 World Tomistoma Day is happening NEXT Wednesday August 5th! It will be the 5th World Tomistoma Day, with the aim of bringing awareness to the status of Tomistoma schlegelii and shining a light on crocodilian conservation as a whole. This is a great opportunity to fundraise for crocodilian conservation, and heres a way to help: - Creating a Facebook Fundraiser is easy to do and can be shared to raise awareness and funds for crocodile conservation projects. - You are welcome ...to use these images for your social media event: Facebook Cover Photo (longer rectangle), Instagram (square), and Facebook Post. - After your fundraiser is finished, follow the link here (http://www.iucncsg.org/pages/Donate-Now.html) to donate and find more information. We will be sharing posts and videos from members of the Tomistoma Task Force and many others between August 1st through August 5th. Happy World Tomistoma Day! #WorldTomistomaDay #CSG #CrocodileConservation

06.01.2022 World Tomistoma Day is tomorrow Aug 5! Check out the most recent report about Tomistoma published in the CSG Newsletter at CrocDay.org Plus, there will be more Tomistoma updates available on our Facebook Page and a #TomistomaTwitterTakeover at the @eurocrocnetwork on Twitter tomorrow Aug 5 with Dr. Agata Staniewicz. Hatchling T.schlegelii, Sekonyer River, Tanjung Puting National Park... #WorldTomistomaDay #Crocodiles #Conservation #CSG

05.01.2022 CSG is offering a fantastic and FREE course given by crocodilian specialists to explore the inner world of drones. http://www.iucncsg.org/pages/Virtual-UAS-Workshop.html

05.01.2022 Celebrating World Tomistoma Day, Wednesday 5th August 2020. Check out crocday.org for information about the event, the CSGs Tomistoma Task Force, and about Tomistoma itself.

04.01.2022 We are saddened to hear of the recent death of CSG member Mushtaq Ahmed on 25th February 2021. The attached link provides some information surrounding his death. Mushtaq had been a CSG member since 2008 and attended several CSG Working Meetings, where you may have meet him and his wife. Our sincere condolences go out to his wife, family, and friends. He will be greatly missed. Ahmed, who used to write under the pen name, Michael Kumir Thakur, was also famous as a crocodile farmer. His book, Crocodile Farmer’s Diary, earned him widespread acclaim.-mention from the article

04.01.2022 The WDC is proud to partner with some great organizations worldwide. One is the Crocodile Research Coalition in Belize founded by Dr Marisa Tellez. This amaz...ing organization takes a holistic approach towards building and empowering their local communities, actively engaging in research, promoting education, and looking at ways to improve the environment. Plus, they have a really neat facility that is home to rescued crocs! Way to go to all of the folks at CRC! Heres a video that Dr Tellez put together to share with all of our WDC family. Youll see why we love them so much! See more

04.01.2022 Beauty & grace Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? This lovely subadult gharial, of course. Here she is in Jankauli Community Forest, where she has stayed since we tagged her in 2019. She has a preference for this particular confluence, where a small stream enters the Dungre river, but often goes on forays up and downstream, especially when water levels are higher in the monsoon. ... Beautiful photo! Repost from @crocodiledunphd Thank you! Summer CrocFest will be held at @zootampa in June, supporting research and conservation of the Indian Gharial. Check out @crocfests for more information. #gharial #savingspecies #conservationheroes #crocfest #summertime

03.01.2022 Neonate husbandry discussion Abnormalities: What does your facility do to assist hatchling crocodilians with abnormalities? This little American alligator developed without a tail and has issues eating enough food, however is able to defecate normally. If you have a similar case and can offer suggestions for this one, it’d be appreciated and we can put you in touch with the caretaker. It has been offered a variety of food items and started out with other hatchlings.... #crocodiles #alligators #science

03.01.2022 My dear friend, Roberto Sobern, has given me the honor of translating the following memory. The story explains how he met Toby Ramos and fell in love with croc...odiles. The English version is first, then the original Spanish. Mi querido amigo Roberto Sobern me ha hecho el honor de darme a traducir la siguiente historia. Ella explica cmo l, con la ayuda de Toby Ramos, se enamor de los cocodrilos. Envo en primer lugar la versin en ingls, seguida del original en Espaol. THE DAY I LOST MY FEAR OF CROCODILES 2015 by Roberto A. Rodrguez Sobern Translation from Spanish 2020 by Regina Anavy That February morning in 1984, I was experiencing a tingling anxiety of warning as I crossed the lobby of the Ministry of Transport in Havana. The Jefe had asked me to call on him, and every time this happened, I felt like a small planet whose orbit was dangerously approaching the gravitational pull of a black hole. Such conjunctions, like an encounter with the Sphinx, could disrupt a persons destiny, and in those days, I felt quite happy with mine. For seven years, I had been part of a working group that was in charge of planning the newly-protected natural areas of Cuba. As the biologist in the group, my job was to take an inventory of the wild animals that lived in the territories we were exploring, study them and design strategies to conserve them. I enjoyed that nomadic life of climbing mountains, breathing the humid aroma of the forests, riding freely through the savannah with its elusive horizon and being awakened by the noise of a thousand birds as the early dawn dappled the roof of my hut with light. Birds of varied coloration, bats, deer, singing frogs, rock iguanasthey were like notes of a dazzling symphony that I deciphered day after day, while passing, almost feeling my way, through its vegetable staves. After passing through all the controls, I arrived at the glittering office. From behind his imposing desk, the Jefe scrutinized me with a wise expression. Embroidered on the shoulder pads of his olive-green jacket, three green mountains and the gold star of the honorary rank of Commander of the Revolution stood out. That man, now long along in years, was the first campesino in the Sierra Maestra to join the guerrilla struggle led by Fidel Castro. There, his knowledge of the terrain and the locals, his iron will, natural ingenuity and bravery earned him prestige and authority. After the victory, years of executive policy and patient study sharpened his intellect and polished his manners, but the exercise of power reinforced his willful and authoritarian nature. At the time of my story, he was the Minister of Transport and Number Five on the scale of command of the Cuban Government leadership. But I wasnt there to talk about locomotives or port management but about my work as a wildlife biologist. It turned out that the Comandante was also passionate about nature, in whose bosom he was born and raised, and that passion, along with his advantageous position in the Government, allowed him to accomplish what for many scientists and scholars had been up to then an impossible dream: to establish, for the first time in Cuba, a functional system of national parks, endowed with a solid and almost-efficient infrastructure. After the greetings and now served with coffee, the Comandante told me in a calm tone, but looking me squarely in the eyes: Sobern, Ive had you come here today, which is Saint Valentines Day, to see if youre going to fall in love with the new assignment that I want to propose to you. Propose, I repeated mentally, with irony. Would anyone ignore that a suggestion from this man amounted to an injunction? And I tried to prepare myself for what was coming. Well, surely you know that crocodiles are contemporaries of the dinosaurs but now are threatened with extinction, and theyre also a natural resource of great worth; their skins are in much demand and sell for a lot. . . I only listened up to crocodiles. The bucket of cold water thrown on me distracted me from all the rest. My ineffable symphony of infinite animal voices would remain suddenly reduced to a single one . . . of double bass! Adis dear mountains and green savannahs, from now on everything would be a mosquito-plagued swamp. I had never felt attracted to crocodiles. On the contrary, these almost-metallic beasts, their weaponized jaws, the momentum of their mortal attacks and unforeseen outbursts instilled terror. Not only in me. I remember that in periods of high unemployment in Cuba, there were only two professions that always had openings: gravedigger and crocodile keeper. I left his office feeling distressed, confused, but I resolved to assume the challenge and remain on good terms with El Jefe. Obviously, my first step would be to overcome my total ignorance of all things crocodile. And for that I knew someone perfect: my friend Roberto (Toby) Ramos, who had already spent 10 years as a biologist on the only crocodile farm then in existence in Cuba: the one in the Zapata Swamp. Toby and I knew each other from the University. He graduated two years before me and almost immediately went to work with crocodiles. Habanero to the core, brought up in the street with the negritos in Barrio Mart, Toby has a confident and cheerful personality, and, like the weather in Cuba, he can suddenly explode in furious, but ephemeral, squalls. His abundant beard and thick eyebrows give him the appalling appearance of an ayatollah, which seems to serve him as defensive camouflage and combines well with his affinity for martials arts and Far Eastern cultures. A dependable and pragmatic scientist and untiring worker, Toby has devoted his life to the conservation of the Cuban Crocodile. So I called Toby on the phone and explained what I needed, and his response was Come on over. Some days went by; I loaded up my backpack, took the computer I had at the time, which was my portable Royal typewriter, and rented a cabin in the tourist center of Playa Larga, near the crocodile farm. When I got to the farm, Toby took me to see the different sections: the bed of peat where they placed the eggs to incubate, the pens where the little ones grew, the laboratory and tourist infrastructure, but what most impressed me was the enormous enclosure for the adults, which could be seen from the access road to the farm. With a high steel fence and a wide lagoon in the center, the enclosure, which measured more than seven acres, held several hundred adult crocodiles. It gave me chills to see those antediluvian beasts, lying around the terrarium, immobile, with their enormous open jaws, and others, many more, in the water. At times a deep roar broke the silence, a sudden splash, and the calm, murky waters were agitated. We spent a long time contemplating that spectacle from a wooden platform that was raised above the fence on one side of the enclosure. The spectacle was overwhelming, and for some reason, my mind wandered to an image of the early church martyrs, who were thrown to the lions in the Coliseum of Rome. When we said goodbye, Toby emphasized: Be here tomorrow, at 7:00 am, without fail. The following day, I presented myself on time. Toby was accompanied by his workers, the breeders of the farm: tough-looking men, but of good characterthe sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the legendary crocodile hunters of the Zapata Swamp. They all had picturesque nicknames: el Mulo (the Mule), el Chivo (the Goat), el Maj (the Big Boa), ango, El Isleo (the Canarian). The work brigade was five men, counting Toby; I would be number six. Two of them were carrying thick, round wooden poles, two or three meters long. The third carried a hoe, and the fourth, a five-gallon tin can, the kind used for oil, with an improvised wire handle, half-full of dry grass. Toby carried only a notebook and a large handful of keys. Have you had your coffee? Well, come on then. He gave me another of those cans and we continued walking. I had no idea what all that paraphernalia was for. We went toward the entrance of the large corral, where the adults were housed, and I saw with horror that Toby was introducing a key into the padlock that secured the narrow gate. This way, Toby? I asked him. Yes, this way; the egg-laying season has already started and today were going to check the nests and collect the eggs. In a flash I felt my guts tighten, and my heart skipped a beat. My knees began to tremble, and I didnt know if I had the strength to continue standing. I had to clench my teeth and breathe deeply to control the urgent impulse to run away, and I told myself: In this exact moment it will be decided if I will be a cocodrilero and work with crocodiles or not. I caught the discreet signal that Toby gave to one of the men who was armed with a pole that he not lose sight of me. This person stood at my side, and we entered the enclosure. On the way, without ignoring his work, he kept explaining to me everything that was happening and reeling off for me, one by one, the precious pearls of his wisdom and experience. Among the 24 species of crocodiles and caimans that today populate the planet, the Cuban Crocodile is distinguished by its aggressiveness and its great agility, which has confirmed its nickname as the Olympic athlete of crocodiles. This Miura reptile is capable of a ferocity so great, so greatthe cow as well as the bullthat if the males, creatures with armored plates on their chests, dont think twice about violent squabbles, then there is nothing to match the diligence of a mother crocodile when shes guarding her nest. Cuban Crocodile nests are mounds made of earth, fallen leaves and grass that are raised almost a meter above the soil. Inside, near the top, the female opens a hole where she deposits her eggs15 or 20 if she is young, and many more, up to 60, if she is in the maturity of her reproductive life. And in front of me, on the narrow strip of land constrained between the water and the high fence, I saw more than 12 such mounds, which felt to me like interminable Stations of the Cross. Thus we kept advancing, they with caution, I with something more than that, and upon approaching the first nest, there was a sudden SPLASH, a deep and elongated HISHHHHHHHH, and, as if surging out of nowhere, here came the infuriated mother, planted on top of the mound, her feet poised to jump, her mouth half-opened, showing her sharp teeth, and her very black eyes pointed straight at me. I was petrified. I could only measure the height of the fence with a glance and calculate if, in a situation of crisis, I would be able to jump over it. This was, obviously, impossible, but at the same instant I reminded myself that I was among professionals. With great calm and the synchronization of the gears of a watch, the pole-carriers kept the animal at bay and made it go back in the water. The one with the hoe began to dig in the right spot on the mound until the clutch of eggs appeared, and then we carefully put the eggs inside one of the cans, on top of the cushion of grass, and covered them with more grass, while Toby noted down every detail. Soon, my curiosity as a naturalist overcame my fear, but the words of Toby, the confidence and expertise demonstrated by his men and my own adrenaline did most of the work. I dont remember in detail how many crocodile assaults occurred that morning, but I do know there were a lot, and there were moments in which we saw ourselves cornered between two or even three of those intrepid and zealous mothers. There was also a section of land that had been worn down by all the crocodiles going in and out of the water over the years. The ground was a narrow path, less than a meter in width, and traversing that area was like crossing the pass of Thermopyles. In my mind mingled, in rapid succession, the iridescent glitter of an explosion of drops every time those creatures, resilient and lustrous, jumped out of the water like a rocket launched by a submarine; the yellow interior of their mouths, their sharp white teeth, the deep resonance of their roars; the heavy, spine-chilling thud of their jaws when they crashed into each other; the sweaty bodies of the Goat, the Mule and the Big Boa, who wielded their poles in a coordinated action continuously, with expert efficiency. And above all, I was infected by that oriental placidity, the radiance of healthy pride and the barely-contained joy reflected in Tobys eyes. So that in one of those crocodile lunges, I surprised myself by realizing that I, too, was enjoying that adventure, that my fear had completely disappeared, giving way to a cheerful excitation that made me exclaim, I love this! And I was right when I thought at the beginning of that day, Here and now my life will be decided. The proximity to the black hole had finally altered my orbit. For good. Its now been 36 years from that day in which I decided to consecrate my professional life to crocodiles, and Im not complaining. Ive enjoyed every day, every minute of it. Finally, the symphony of the swamps, with the rhythm of the tides, the roars of crocodiles, the buzzing of mosquitos, the treble of gulls, herons and cormorants, written on the green and humid staff of the mangroves proved as seductive as the other symphony, which at first I missed. Thanks to crocodiles, Ive known countries and interesting people; I have the best friends in the world, and together we have uncovered interesting secrets, written books; we have helped rescue the precious treasure of my dear islands environmentthe crocodilesand we have shared unforgettable moments. And Ill never forget the day I lost my fear of crocodiles. Alicante, March 10, 2015 EL DIA EN QUE LE PERD EL MIEDO A LOS COCODRILOS 2015 by Roberto A. Rodrguez Sobern Aquella maana de febrero del ochenta y cuatro, experimentaba un hormigueo de premonitoria desazn, mientras atravesaba el vestbulo del Ministerio de Transportes, en La Habana. El Jefe me haba mandado a llamar, y cada vez que eso ocurra, yo me senta como un pequeo planeta cuya rbita se aproximaba, peligrosamente, al campo gravitacional de agujero negro: tales conjunciones, como un encuentro con la esfinge, podan trastocar inexorablemente el destino de una persona y por entonces, yo me senta muy a gusto con el mo. Haca siete aos que yo formaba parte del equipo de trabajo que proyectaba las nuevas reas naturales protegidas de Cuba. Como bilogo del grupo, me tocaba inventariar los animales silvestres que vivan en los territorios que explorbamos, estudiarlos y disear estrategias para conservarlos. Me encantaba aquella vida trashumante de remontar serranas, respirar el hmedo aroma de los bosques, cabalgar libre por las sabanas de evasivo horizonte y ser despertado por la algaraba de mil aves, cuando los primeros albores moteaban de luz el techo de mi tienda. Aves de variada pinta, murcilagos, venados, ranas cantarinas, ptreas iguanas, eran como las notas de una deslumbrante sinfona que yo iba descifrando da tras da, al transitar, casi a tientas, por su pentagrama vegetal. Despus de pasar por todos los controles, llegu al reluciente despacho. Desde su imponente escritorio, El Jefe me escrutaba con su mirada sagaz. En las hombreras de su zamarra verde olivo, se destacaban las tres verdes montaas y la estrella dorada del grado honorfico de Comandante de la Revolucin. Aquel hombre, ya entrado en aos, fue el primer campesino de la Sierra Maestra que se sum a la lucha guerrillera liderada por Fidel Castro. All su conocimiento del terreno y de los lugareos, su frrea voluntad y su natural ingenio, no exento de valor, le ganaron prestigio y autoridad. Despus del triunfo, los aos de ejecutoria poltica y de sufrido estudio le afilaron el intelecto, y le pulieron un poco los modales, pero el ejercicio del poder reforz su naturaleza voluntariosa y autoritaria. En el momento de mi historia, era Ministro de Transportes y el nmero cinco en la escala de mando de la cpula gobernante cubana. Mas yo no estaba all para hablar de locomotoras ni de la gestin portuaria, sino de mi trabajo como bilogo de la fauna silvestre. Resulta que el Comandante es adems un apasionado de la naturaleza, en cuyo seno naci y se cri, y esa pasin, unida a su aventajada posicin en el Gobierno, le permitieron lograr lo que para muchos cientficos y eruditos haba sido hasta entonces un sueo imposible: establecer, por primera vez en Cuba, un sistema funcional de parques nacionales, dotado de una slida y casi eficaz infraestructura. Tras los saludos y ya servido el caf, me dijo el Comandante, en tono apacible, pero mirndome fijamente a los ojos: Sobern, te he hecho venir hoy, que es el da de San Valentn, por ver si te enamoras de la nueva tarea que quiero proponerte. Proponerte, repet mentalmente con irona acaso alguien ignora que una sugerencia de este hombre equivale a una orden terminante? Y trat de preparar mi nimo para lo que estaba por venir. Pues seguramente t sabes que los cocodrilos son contemporneos de los dinosaurios, pero ahora estn amenazados de extincin, y son tambin un recurso natural de gran valor; sus pieles tienen mucha demanda y cotizan muy bien... Yo slo escuch hasta cocodrilos. El cubo de agua helada que sent derramarse sobre m, me distrajo de todo lo dems. Mi inefable sinfona de infinitas voces animales quedara sbitamente reducida a un solo de contrabajo! Adis a las montaas y a las verdes sabanas, a partir de ahora todo sera cinaga plagada de mosquitos. Jams me haba sentido atrado por los cocodrilos. Por el contrario, esas bestias casi metlicas, sus armadas fauces, el mpetu de su ataque mortal, exabrupto imprevisible, me infundan pavor. Y no slo a m. Recuerdo que en las etapas de mayor desempleo en Cuba, slo haba dos oficios que siempre tenan plazas vacantes: sepulturero y criador de cocodrilos. Sal de all angustiado, confundido, pero resuelto a asumir el reto y quedar bien con El Jefe. Obviamente, mi primer paso tendra que estar encaminado a superar mi total ignorancia cocodrilstica. Pero para ello poda contar con la persona idnea: Mi amigo Roberto Toby-Ramos, llevaba ya diez aos de bilogo de la nica granja de cocodrilos que haba entonces en Cuba: el criadero de la Cinaga de Zapata. Toby y yo nos conocamos de la Universidad; l se gradu dos aos antes que yo y casi de inmediato se fue a trabajar con los cocodrilos. Habanero de a pi, criado en la calle, con los negritos del Barrio Mart, Toby tiene un carcter desenvuelto y jovial que, como el clima de Cuba, puede estallar sbitamente en furibundos, pero efmeras borrascas. Su sempiterna barba y gruesas cejas le dan un temible aspecto de ayatola, que ms bien le sirve de camuflaje defensivo y combinan muy bien con su vocacin por las artes marciales y las culturas del Lejano Oriente. Cientfico responsable y aplicado, y trabajador incansable, ha consagrado su vida a la conservacin del cocodrilo cubano. As que llam a Toby por telfono, le expliqu mi necesidad y su respuesta fue: Echa paca. Pasados unos das, cargu con mi mochila, cog el ordenador de entonces, que era mi mquina de escribir Royal porttil, y alquil una cabaa en el centro turstico de Playa Larga, cercano al criadero de cocodrilos. Al llegar a la granja, Toby me llev a ver las distintas secciones: los canteros de turba donde se incubaban los huevos de manera artesanal, los corrales donde crecan los pequeines, el laboratorio y la infraestructura turstica, pero lo que ms me impresion fue el enorme corral de los reproductores, que es el que se ve desde la carretera de acceso al criadero. Con un alto cercado de malla eslabonada y una amplia laguna en su centro, el corral, que mide algo ms de tres hectreas, albergaba a varios cientos de cocodrilos adultos. Causaba escalofro ver a aquellas bestias antediluvianas, yaciendo por todo el terrario, inmviles, con sus enormes fauces abiertas y otras, muchsimas ms, metidas en el agua. A veces rompa el silencio un profundo bramido, un sbito chapoteo, y las quietas y turbias aguas se agitaban. Estuvimos largo rato contemplando aquel espectculo desde una plataforma de madera que se alzaba a un costado del corral por encima de la cerca. El espectculo era apabullante, y por alguna peregrina razn me vinieron a la mente los mrtires de la iglesia primitiva, que eran echados a los leones en el Coliseo de Roma Al despedirnos, Toby me recalc: maana aqu, a las siete, sin falta. Al da siguiente, me present puntual. Toby estaba acompaado de sus negros, los criadores de la granja, hombres recios, pero de buen carcter, hijos, nietos y biznietos de los legendarios cazadores de cocodrilos de la cinaga de Zapata. Todos ellos tenan motes pintorescos: el Mulo, el Chivo, el Maj, ango, El Isleo. La brigada de trabajo era de cinco hombres, contando a Toby; yo hara el nmero seis. Dos de ellos llevaban unas recias varas de madera rolliza, de dos o tres metros de largo, el tercero llevaba un azadn, el cuarto, unos recipientes de lata, de cinco galones de capacidad, de los que se utilizan para envasar aceite, con un asa improvisada de alambre, y llenos de yerba seca hasta la mitad. Toby apenas llevaba un cuaderno de apuntes y un gran manojo de llaves. Ya tomaste caf? Pues vamos. Me entreg otra de aquellas latas y salimos caminando. Yo ignoraba para qu servira toda aquella parafernalia. Nos dirigimos a la entrada del corral grande, el de los reproductores, y vi con horror que Toby introduca una llave en el candado que aseguraba la estrecha poterna. Por ah, Toby? Le pregunt. Si, por aqu, ya comenz la temporada de puestas y hoy vamos a revisar los nidos y colectar los huevos. Por un instante sent cmo se me contraan las tripas y el corazn me daba un vuelco. Comenzaron a temblarme las rodillas y las senta sin fuerzas para sostener el peso de mi cuerpo. Tuve que apretar los dientes y respirar hondo para controlar el impulso apremiante de salir corriendo y dije para mis adentros: en este justo momento se decide si yo he de ser o no un cocodrilero. Capt la discreta sea que le hizo Toby a uno de los hombres armados de varas, para que no me perdiera de vista; l mismo se puso a mi lado y entramos al corral. Por el camino, sin desatender nada de su trabajo, l iba explicndome todo lo que estaba ocurriendo y desgranando para m, una a una, las preciosas perlas de su conocimiento y experiencia. Entre las 24 especies de cocodrilos y caimanes que hoy pueblan el planeta, el cocodrilo cubano se distingue por su agresividad y por su gran agilidad, que le ha valido el mote de atleta olmpico de los cocodrilos. De este miura reptil, en puntos de fiereza tanto monta, monta tanto, la vaca como el toro, pues si los machos, bichos de escama en pecho, se rajan la camisa en sus trifulcas de faldas, nada supera el denuedo de una cocodrilo madre cuando est al cuidado de su nido. Los nidos del cocodrilo cubano son unos montculos hechos de tierra, hojarasca, yerba, que se elevan hasta un metro sobre el suelo. Dentro de ellos, cerca de la cspide, la hembra abre un hoyo donde deposita sus huevos, 15 o 20 si es joven, muchos ms, hasta 60, si est en la madurez de su vida reproductiva. Y delante de m, sobre el estrecho terrario constreido entre el agua y el alta cerca, vea yo ms de doce de aquellos montculos, que se me antojaban los pasos de un interminable viacrucis. As fuimos avanzando, ellos con cautela, yo con algo ms que eso y al acercarnos al primer nido, un sbito SPLASH, un profundo y alargado HISHHHHHHHH, y como surgida de la nada, ah estaba la enfurecida madre, plantada sobre la cima del montculo, las patas listas para el salto, la boca entreabierta, mostrando las aguzadas armas, y sus ojos negrsimos apuntando hacia m. Qued petrificado, slo atin a medir con la mirada la altura de la cerca y calcular si en una situacin de crisis, sera yo capaz de saltar por encima de ella y eso era, obviamente, imposible. Pero al instante not que me encontraba entre profesionales. Con la mayor calma y la sincronizacin de los engranajes de un reloj, los portadores de las varas contuvieron al animal y lo hicieron retirarse nuevamente al agua. Vino el del azadn y comenz a escarbar en el sitio preciso del montculo, hasta que apareci la nidada y a rengln seguido, fuimos colocando cuidadosamente los huevos dentro de una de las latas, sobre el colchn de yerba, y tapndolos despus con ms yerba, mientras Toby tomaba nota de cada detalle. Pronto mi curiosidad de naturalista fue sobreponindose al temor, pero las palabras de Toby, la seguridad y pericia que demostraban sus hombres y mi adrenalina, hicieron la mayor parte del trabajo. No puedo recordar en detalles cuntas embestidas se sucedieron a lo largo de aquella maana, pero s que fueron muchas, y hubo momentos en que nos vimos como acorralados entre dos y hasta tres de aquellas madres intrpidas y celosas, hubo un tramo en que por causa del desgaste provocado por tantos cocodrilos entrando y saliendo del agua, a travs de aos, el terrario por donde transitbamos era apenas un trillo de menos de un metro de ancho, y pasar por ah fue como cruzar las Termpilas. En mi mente se confunden en rpida sucesin, el centellar de iridiscente de una explosin de gotas, cada vez que aquellos bichos, recios y lustrosos, saltaban fuera del agua, como el cohete lanzado por un submarino; el interior amarillo de sus bocas, los afilados dientes blanqusimos, la profunda resonancia de los bramidos, el golpe seco, escalofriante de las mandbulas al chocar entre s, los cuerpos sudorosos de El Chivo, El Mulo y El Maj, que coordinadamente esgriman sus varas, sin respiro, pero con experta eficacia. Y sobre todo, aquella placidez oriental y el brillo de sano orgullo, de gozosa emocin, apenas contenida, que se reflejaba en los ojos de Toby, se me fueron contagiando, hasta que en uno de aquellos lances, me sorprendi el comprender que yo tambin estaba disfrutando de aquella aventura, que el miedo haba desaparecido por completo, dando paso a una risuea excitacin, que me hizo exclamar: Esto es lo mo! Tena yo razn cuando pens al comienzo de aquel da: aqu y ahora se decide mi vida. La proximidad al agujero negro haba finalmente alterado mi rbita. La alter para bien. Hace ya 36 aos de aquel da en que decid consagrarle mi vida profesional a los cocodrilos, y no me quejo. He disfrutado cada da, cada minuto de ella. Al final la sinfona de las cinagas, con ritmo de mareas, bajos de bramar de cocodrilos, cuerdas de zumbido de mosquitos, agudos de gaviotas, garzas y coras, escritas sobre el verde y hmedo pentagrama de los manglares, result tan seductora como aquella otra que al principio ech de menos. Gracias a los cocodrilos he conocido pases, gente interesante, tengo los mejores amigos del mundo y juntos hemos develado interesantes secretos, escrito libros, hemos ayudado a rescatar el valioso tesoro de la naturaleza de mi querida isla, que son los cocodrilos, y hemos compartido momentos inolvidables. Pero nunca olvidar aquel da en que le perd el miedo a los cocodrilos. Alicante, 10 de marzo de 2015.

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02.01.2022 Name: Kate Pocklington Location: Singapore Organisation: Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum Main involvement with crocodilians: Research, Education, Personal Interest Current Projects: Research of the saltwater crocodile in Singapore (1819 - current) including distribution and trade history, cultural aspects, and attacks on humans.... Past projects: Research and collaborations regarding crocodilian diversity in Singapore, historic specimens in Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and national media liaising. Kate researches historical and cultural aspects, and contemporary distributions of the saltwater crocodile in Singapore. See more