Thai crocodile farmers call for easing of trade restrictions to save endangered wild crocs
- They want to ease regulations on cross-border trade of the reptiles and their parts, to boost demand for products made from ones raised in captivity
- Thai crocodile farmers are raising millions of the animals in captivity but are not faring so well after the coronavirus pandemic devastated sales of their products
Thailand’s crocodile industry, whose US$200 million in annual sales plunged nearly 90 per cent during the pandemic, is promoting a two-track solution it hopes can benefit itself as well as the reptile species. In addition to seeking a relaxation of tight regulations on international trade of their products, they are spearheading an effort to restock Siamese crocodiles in the wild.
Although the industry had its roots in the capture of wild crocodiles, breeders and traders argue that a successful and well-regulated farming business can help rebuild the wild crocodile population.
Advocates of easing trade rules believe the successful breeding of Siamese crocodiles on farms means it is no longer cost effective to hunt them in the wild, and a thriving commercial industry will help fund conservation projects.
Thailand will propose a relaxation of the rules on the trade of Siamese crocodiles at next week’s meeting in Panama of the 184-nation CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.