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Slender-snouted crocodile
(C r o c o dy I u s c at a phr ac tu s)
Status of Wild Populations: No recent suvey dala are available.
The spccies is present in lhe Luapula and Kalungwishi
rivers, and in lakes Mweru, Mweru Wantipa, and Tanganyika
(Pooley 1982, Hutton 1989a). Popularion tcvels in take
Tanganyika arc apparendy very low (CITES 1989).
Management and Conservation Programs: The hunrinS of
crocodiles in Zambia was rcgulared by license under rhe National
Parks and Wildlife Acr of 1 8 (Klemm and Navid
1989). All crocodile hunting was banned in 1987 by presidential
decree,
Country Rating
Survey Data: I no suvey planned
Wild Population Starus: l-unknown
Management Prograrn: Clegislarion only
Nile crocodile (Crocodylus nilolicus\
Wild Population Satus: 4depleted/wlnerable
Managcmcnl Program: E.2-ranching. E.l{mpping
Status of Wild Populations: Exlensivc surveys have been
conducted in several parLs of Zambia. Crccodiles arc rcponed Contact: Dr. M.P. Simbotwc, Keirh Ashorwood. Peter
to b€ widcspread throughou{ the counrry, but densiries are Taylor, Dr. Jon M. Hutton
gready reduccd in seltled areas. The Luangwa Rivcr has b€en
surveyed six dmes belween l9?2 and 1986, and dese surveys
indicate a shble, highdensiry populalion ( 13.?/km in 1972 and
14.8,em in 1986). Howard (1989) estimaled l}lc population
Zimbabwe
of
crocodiles along 246 km of the Luangwa numbcrcd 3,587. Nile crccodile
Tolal crocodile populalion size in Lake Mwenr Wanripa in
1980 was estimared to bc 4,46r'buittath C. niloticus and C.
catalhrottt s \|erc jnclu.ded. Since that time, heavy hunling
Nile crocodile (Croco dylus niloticus)
pressurc (legal and illcgal) and egg collccrion has resulrcd in a Staaus of Wild Populations: Crccodilos are found in rwo
subslrntial decline inpopulalion size (Hu[on 1989a). distincl arcas in Zimbabwe. The largest poputation occu$ in
A night survey ofl-aftc Tanganyika in Sumbu National park the northem region of the country in drc Zambezi River, pan of
found a densily of 2.04m (mostly adulrs), and locatcd 56 nesrs which has b€en damned !o form Lake Kariba. A smaller
along 68 km of shorcline. Crocodilc nunbers are low and most crocodile population is located in $e lowveld region of southsstem
Zimbabwe. Crocodile populations ttave increas€d
nests arc destroyed outside protecied arcas on the lalc. An
aerial survey of40 km of lhe Zambezi rivcr in 1988 spotrcd 173
substantially in suilable areas since the early 1960s (Child 1987,
crocodiles along rhe proteclcd Zimbabwe sborc but only thrcc Hu.ton 198D.
along the seldcd Zambian side 0juiton 1989a).
The total crocodile population in Zinbabwe in 1982 was
Nighl counts along six km of thc Kafue River in 1981 esnmalcd ro be 50,000. wi$ approximarely 40,000 being found
cstimatred a mcan density of 16.334m (CITES 1989). in (he Zambezi Rivcr and Lato Kariba (Taylor er al. 1982).
Taylor ( 1987) calculalcd a crude density of 5.59 crocodiles/km
Management and Cons€rvation Programs: Considered io ofshoteline for l-akc Kariba for the pcriod 1982- 1985, resulting
be a game animal under the Nalional Parks and Wildlifo Act. in a crude population esrimate of approximatoly I I,Om croco-
for the enlirc lake. Using conecrion factors $e roral
Hunling of Nilc crocodiles requircsa license and thcpossessiondiles
of hidcs requires a ccnificare of ownership. Appmximatcly popula(ion was calculard lo be nearly 32,000, bur Taylor
I ,000 crocodiles were legally croppcd in kle Mwcru Wantipa (1987) concludes that the actual population size is somewh€re
in 1980, bu! cropping was disconrinued undl 1985. when rho between these two figures. No counts have b€on made !o
Zambian population was conditionally rransferred !o CITES eslimalc the size of lh€ crocodile population in rhe Zambezi
Appcndix lI and a quora of 2,000 was established. In 1987, River bclow Lake Krriba as this population is nor exploited
following $e successful application for an annual quora of (Hutton 1987). Thc crocodile populalion in rtle lowvetd region
2,000 crocodiles, the hunring of crocodiles was banncd by rhe of soulhcastem Zimbabwc is possibly less than 4,000 (Hutton
Presidenl of Zambia (Hutton 1989a). Spo( (safari) hunring is 1987).
still bcing considered as a viable managemcnt altemarive. A1
the 1989 CITES confercncr. Zambia indicated ftar it woutd
continue with a limited amount of cropping, includiog the
rcmoval of nuisance crocodiles (Hemley 1989).
Zambia currendy has seven crocodile mnches, but ranching
success bas been very mixed (Hufion 1989a). A! the 1989
CITES conference the Zanbian crocodilepopulaUon was tsansfered
to Appendix II under the ranching criteria, so no CITES
impos€d limirations ofcxports are in effecL The 1989 egg quota
is l8,m0andis dividedamong rhetanchesas follows: Krsaba
Bay Crocodile 2,5004.r. (Irte Tanganyika), Lake Tmpicals
Limiled 2,000/yr. (kke Mweru'Wantipa), Luwanga Crocodile
Ran€h 5,50ryF. Guangwa. Lunga, and Kabompo rive6),Ikriba
Crocodil€ and Fish Ranch 2,000 a. (Kafuo River and lower
Zambezi), Sumbu Crocodile Ranch 2,000,5,r. (I-ak€ Kariba),
Kalimba Crocodile Ranch 2,000/yr. (Luangwa, Lukusashi, and
Lunenfwa rivers), Siansorva Crocodile Ranch 2,000/yr. (l-ake
Kariba). All ranches are requircd to release 5-10% of the
cr&odiles that rcach a lenglh of 50 cm.
Country Rsting
Survey Data: trI-basic survey data
Managementand Conservation Programs: Zimbabwe's
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