SAN MARIANO, Isabela – The critical population of Philippine crocodiles is likely to grow following the establishment of the Philippine Crocodile Conservation Center (PCCC) inside the Isabela State University campus in San Mariano.

The PCCC will play an important role in maintaining crocodile conservation activities in San Mariano and in generating income for communities that conserve crocodiles.

The center is a joint project of Isabela State University, the local government of San Mariano, and the Mabuwaya Foundation, and supported by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Tourism.

The center consists of crocodile enclosures and a building for visitors.

The enclosures are used to house adult crocodiles for the first conservation breeding program with Philippine crocodiles of Luzon origin and for newborn wild-born crocodiles.

Crocodiles bred at the center will be released back into the wild to augment the extremely small wild population of one of the planet’s rarest animals.

The visitor building will be used for environmental education and as a gateway for visitors to explore the wild areas of San Mariano and the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park to see Philippine crocodiles and many other endemic species. rare in the wild.

The Philippine crocodile Crocodylus mindorensis is endemic to the Philippines and found nowhere else in the world.

Marites Balbas, director of operations of the Mabuwaya Foundation, said the species is nationally protected and due to its relatively small size, it does not pose a threat to humans, compared to crocodile species in the Philippines, notably the saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus. .

One of the last wild populations of the Philippine crocodile is found in the municipality of San Mariano in the province of Isabela.

The PCCC was made possible through the financial support of international zoos in Australia and Europe that have the Philippine crocodile in their collection. These include Victoria Zoos in Australia, ZSL London Zoo, Crocodiles of the World and Wild Discovery in the UK, La Ferme aux Crocodiles in France, Koln Zoo in Germany, Bergen Aquarium in Norway, The Blue Planet, Krokodille Zoo and Terrariet – Reptile. Zoo in Denmark, Zagreb Zoo in Croatia and Protovin Crocodile Zoo in the Czech Republic; and donations to the Mabuwaya Foundation.