Philippine Crocodile

The Philippine crocodile, also known as the Mindoro crocodile, the Philippine freshwater crocodile, the bukarot in Ilocano. The Philippine crocodile is the species endemic only to the country, it was updated to critically endangered in 2008 after a long period of distrust, the cause of this extinction is exploitation and unsustainable fishing methods, such as dynamite fishing. So, Conservation methods have been taken by the Dutch/Filipino Mabuwaya foundation, the Crocodile Conservation Society, and the Zoological Institute of HerpaWorld in Mindoro island.

The Philippine Crocodile is considered to be the most threatened crocodile species in the world, with fewer than 100 left in the wild and very few in captivity. Previously, the Philippine Crocodile was found all across the island nation, but currently only found in small, fragmented habitats on the islands of Dalupiri, Luzon, and Mindanao. The Philippine Crocodile population has been seriously affected by hunting and habitat destruction. Another cause is public perception. When the crocodiles have been labeled as animal man killers, so it by the local populace and have been killed for this negative view. However, in recent years, conservationists have been working to change public perception and have successfully bred and released Philippine Crocodiles into protected habitat sites.

Location: fragmented habitats on the islands of Dalupiri, Luzon and Mindanao in the Philippines

Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: less than 100 in the wild; very few in captivity

Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

Scientific Name: Crocodylus mindorensis