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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br />
Pic: PhilYeomans/BNPS<br />
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Handle with care... <br />
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British breeding success leads to new hope for critically endangered crocodile. The first ever Siamese crocodiles born in the UK give boost to species rarer than the Giant panda.<br />
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Conservationist Shaun Foggett(35) has managed to hatch eight Crocodylus siamensis, increasing the global population by two percent, at his Crocodiles of the World attraction near Oxford.<br />
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He hopes to set up a breeding programme in Cambodia with the new arrivals as the remaining wild population of 500 are threatened with plans for a hydro-electric scheme.<br />
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The magnificent creatures used to range across most of south east Asia but are now limited to a mountain river valley in modern Cambodia.<br />
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They emerge from their eggs small but perfectly formed with needle sharp teeth, however the adults grow to over 3 metres in length and are not to be messed with.