Ancient Spirits Help Save 294 Critically Rare Crocodiles

Before touching a single crocodile egg in the Xe Champhone wetlands, village conservation teams in central Laos pause to make offerings to the spirits of their ancestors.

"We collect the egg, we incubate it in the village, and we return your children back to your area," they tell the spirits. "Please take care of them."

This blend of ancient tradition and modern conservation is bringing the Siamese crocodile back from the edge of extinction. Of the world's 27 crocodile species, only four are critically endangered. The Siamese crocodile is one of them, with fewer than 1,000 left on Earth.

For generations, locals in this remote region have believed these reptiles embody their ancestors. To harm one risks illness, misfortune, or death. That spiritual connection may be the single most important reason the species still survives here.

Now, a decade-long program is building on that cultural foundation. Village teams receive modest payments to collect wild eggs before poachers, predators, or floods destroy them. They hatch the eggs in village facilities, where baby crocodiles have nearly five times better survival odds than in the wild.

On March 19th, the team released 56 juvenile crocodiles back to the wetlands. Since 2013, they've returned 294 individuals to the wild, with another 191 being raised for future release.

"This species is very strong for the culture in the area," says Oudomxay Thongsavath, program manager at Wildlife Conservation Society and a local native. "They believe it protects the wetland and protects the community."

When he was a child, Oudomxay thought Siamese crocodiles were already extinct. He only heard warnings from his parents not to venture into deep water. Then one night while working with WCS, he saw glowing eyes in the darkness and realized: they were still here.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't just about saving one population. Nest surveys suggest between 60 and 225 crocodiles now inhabit the wetlands, likely the largest remaining wild population in mainland Southeast Asia.

The species was nearly wiped out by illegal hunting for skin and meat, government extermination campaigns, habitat loss, and mass collection for commercial farms. Now it exists only in scattered, tiny populations across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

The village teams work hardest from May through August, searching for nests in spots used by females in past years. Since 2022, drones have made their searches more effective without disturbing the animals. They typically leave a few eggs in each nest to avoid offending the mother crocodile.

"The people there still believe and they take this very seriously," says Steve Platt, associate conservation herpetologist with WCS. "That's why those crocodiles are still there."

What started as one community's spiritual tradition is now showing the world how respecting ancient wisdom can save species modern science alone cannot protect.