Saturday, February 15, 2014

Largest female Crocodile collared in Borneo


KINABATANGAN: A 3.96 metres female crocodile was captured and tagged within the confines of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS) on February 6.

The female was given the name ‘Zalim’, meaning tyrannical, befitting one of the largest females in the Kinabatangan.

“Our project is a joint collaboration between Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and its Wildlife Rescue Unit, and Cardiff University (CU) and is funded by Chester Zoo – Act for Wildlife and DGFC. We seek to understand the role of this apex predator within a degraded habitat,” said Dr Benoit Goossens, director of DGFC.

He said the project had tagged seven crocodiles, five males and two females. Zalim would be studied to learn about breeding and nesting behaviour.

“This information is of great importance in a region where substantial portions of historic nesting grounds have already been converted to oil palm. In addition to the satellite unit, a small tissue sample was also taken to examine the genetic health of the crocodile population in the region,” said Goossens.

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