[Pablo Sinovas, country director of Fauna and Flora International, releasing a crocodile into a river]
[Released crocodile swimming in the river]
Pablo Sinovas (interview): “Twenty five years ago now, Fauna and Flora rediscovered a population of Siamese Crocodiles in Cambodia. The species was thought to be extinct in the wild up until that point. And so, following that discovery we have been working with the government and with local communities to help bring the species back from the brink of extinction. We are doing that by protecting the habitat, by monitoring populations, and importantly by breeding the species in captivity and taking it back into remote areas in the wild where they are also protected by those local community patrols.”
[Crocodile sliding into the water in an enclosure]
[Dozens of crocodiles in an enclosure]
[Wranglers using a bamboo pole to lasso a rope around the neck of a crocodile]
[Sinovas catching the crocodile, as fellow conservationists give advice]
[ wrangler helping Sinovas to secure the snout of the crocodile]
[Sinovas holding a crocodile on a sandy riverbank]
Pablo Sinovas (interview): “Siamese crocodiles are one of the rarest reptiles in the world. To help with its recovery, we are releasing them in very remote sites in the Cardamom Mountains, a jungle area where the species can be safe and we are doing this because it is an important species for the ecosystem. As a top predator, it contributes to maintaining the ecosystem health. Also in Cambodia, this is a very important species culturally. It is considered to be sacred by Indigenous peoples in that landscape. And so, the recovery of the species is essential from an ecological, as well as cultural, perspective.”
[A released crocodile semi-submerged in a river in the Cardamom Mountains]
[The Cardamom Mountains and the crocodile enclosure]
[Sim Khmao, community warden with Fauna and Flora International, walking towards the crocodile enclosure]
[Khmao walking up the gangway and looking over the fence of the crocodile enclosure]
[Crocodiles inside the enclosure and Khmao looking over the high fence]
[Khmao adjusting the crocodile enclosure canopy]
Sim Khmao (interview): “The reason I decided to join and protect the Siamese crocodile is because I love them. The number of crocodiles has been decreasing, so I joined to keep them alive for the next generation of young people.”
[Khmao inflating a canoe]
[Khmao closing the equipment bag]
[Khmao helping place the canoe into a river]
[Khmao heading out in the canoe]
[Released crocodile semi-submerged in a river in the Cardamom Mountains]
Charlie Manolis (interview): “One of the challenges we have is to ensure that we work with the local people, who have to live with these things, these animals. And try and tie them into the people and their livelihoods so that we can ensure the long-term survival of the species and their role in the ecosystem.”
[Hor Vichet, zookeeper with Fauna and Flora International, closing the front gate of the Siamese Crocodile Breeding Facility]
[Vichet walking to and opening the doors of the crocodile egg incubation room]
[Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Programme sign as Hor Vichet opens door]
[Vichet opening styrofoam incubation container and exposing the crocodile eggs]
Charlie Manolis (interview): “Yeah, we have a duty, I think we have a responsibility to help conserve the Siamese Crocodile, as with other wildlife species that are threatened and endangered around the globe.”
[Vichet entering the food preparation area]
[Vichet setting down bucket of chicken next to knives]
[Vichet using a knife to cut a chicken]
[Vichet taking a handful of calcium from a bag and sprinkles it on the pieces of chicken in the bucket]
[Vichet walking into a crocodile enclosure]
[Vichet’s hands as he picks up a chicken from the bucket]
[Vichet calling to crocodiles as he dangles a chicken over the crocodile enclosure]
[Vichet releasing a piece of chicken into the crocodile enclosure]
[Crocodiles competing for the chicken]
[The victorious crocodile walking away]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.