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Perrier de la Bathie aheady said in his article in 1914 that the Malgacbe did not
"oA"it -A,ft"t -.codile populations could be diminished by killing the adults'
Tbe onlv resuh of killing big crocodiles is that lhe physical size of the.Population
i. a-."i"'"sed U"r not the-nuirber of crocodiles. The population actually increases
;;;;;;;ore
space for subadults ln the caie of the area where the Pilot
.tudn*as conducted, it is interesring to note thal the people there thought the
;;; ,h;;--H.*"*r, they also b;lieve that if the collection is carried oul
*ii""tttibu te to the decrease in numbers of crocodiles' or at least halt
"?ii"l"",i""ii
their augrnentahon.
This was particularly so in the Norlh of the pilol study' where the.locals' who
r.ir"fi" f[.'l"a f- inv possible *ay to gel rid ;f crocodiles changed their attitude
;;;;;" ;i;i.i ;t. stiti a long *av from actuallv loring rhese animals' thev leave
ttrem to live in Peace.
In the South, this is not exactly the case with those involved in egg collection lt
i" i.o*"ti't"
that in the su[ounding area during the last year four
p"opi *"t" injured
"*sider by crocodiles and many zebu were killed'
d) It seems that there is practically no more hunting going on in tle area but it is
iim"J-i, ff"t ,nls to cillection because skin prices have dropped considerably
and the locals are tro longer motivated to hunt crocodiles'
If the actual price, offered locally, of 500 Fmg/cm belly width (atoxt 30 cts/cm)
*.ri t" -Otii"g .it" f200 Fmg, it is possible that some hunters would begin hunting
u""i". "L-. ,ft" hst egg iollection season, it was still the case that those nests
-*ere
n'ot colle"ted destroyed to stop the ioclease io crocodile ntrmbers'
e) The main subiect of the study was to see if there would be indifferent protection
.i ri" -*ti[l the end of the crocodile
", ranching programme Even though
ifror" o""ol. in the South were evidenlly interested in egg colleclion tbey did not
.""m ioo ioncerned with lhe Deed to Preserve the breeding stock'
In the No h, at the pilot site, itr contrast, it is undeniable that protection measures
tl"t". fit"y *it in th. form of cotttinual site monitoring to stop people from
"t" a"tti""i"" the nests and also to prevent zebu ftom desttoying the nest areas' In
tuJut'.i"ptot""tlon of breeding stocks is a successtory' This can be witnessed
oueide ofihe collection progtamme whele local populations asked' sPontaneously'
if thev coutd have an administrative autbority to prevenl zebu movemeDt over the
reproduction site as well as foreigners coming in to kill -J!bg!I crocodrles'
f) The expectations of ruml populations regarding the ranching programme are
i'.tu,irr.ly J"ty,o unerstand and ire. above all. to collect as many eggs.as possible'
i. .i*"rii* tit" collection a bit better so that those ilvolved can be jnformed in
^l"lri".
"t it" and to increase the pdce to more than 1000 or 2000 Fmg
(US
"t-"ture
$1.3) per egg.