The average length of a baby crocodile is less than 20 cm, and the survival rate is low due to the threat of predation by snakes, monitor lizards, birds, and fire ants. It is not uncommon for baby crocodiles to be carried away by strong currents when venturing outside their birthing site into streams and rivers. In order to enhance the chances of survival, once the nest has been located and secured, the hatchlings are collected by community members and Bantay Sanktuwayo and then transported to the Philippine Crocodile Conservation Center, where they are bred in captivity until they reach juvenile age. It has been observed that the survival rate of all the hatchlings collected is approximately 79%, which is a significantly higher percentage compared to the survival rates observed in the wild, where hatchling survival rates can be as low as 5%.
Giacomo d'Orlando