VietNamNet Bridge - Bau Sau (Crocodile Lake) used to be original wetlands with crocodiles as many as mosquitoes.

Crocodiles in Bau Sau.

Bau Sau is located in the south of the Cat Tien National Park in Tan Phu district, Dong Nai province. This is the home of freshwater crocodiles or Siamese crocodile - the species that was thought to be extinct.

To get to Bau Sau, you have to travel 9km by car or motorbikes from the administrative center of the Cat Tien National Park and walk more than 5km through the forest.

Bau Sau is in the core area of the Cat Tien National Park, under the direct management of the Bau Sau ranger station. Reportedly, the name of Bau Sau was known before the Cat Tien National Park was established. Bau Sau is the largest wetlands in the Cat Tien National Park, with more than 2,500 hectares during the rainy season. But in summer, the wetland area is only 100-150 hectares.

Bau Sau is not only home to crocodiles but also a lot of plant and animal species listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world. Like other endemic regions of the Cat Tien National Park, Bau Sau is strictly managed and monitored.

What makes the difference for Bau Sau is the presence of a lot of crocodiles. Crocodiles are everywhere in Bau Sau, which is also the threat of many plant and animal species living in the area. In Bau Sau, crocodiles are the masters.

Why do crocodiles live in Bau Sau? It is the mystery of the wetlands.

Mr. Tran Van Quan, chief of the Bau Sau ranger station, said: "Freshwater crocodiles are the most common species of the wetlands in the Cat Tien National Park. There was a time that if you flashed a light into the lake, you would see thousands of red eyes of crocodiles at night.”

Freshwater crocodiles were nearly extinct here due to people’s attacks. Thanks to a project to preserve this species of the Cat Tien National Park, this species is being revived.

The national park found the freshwater crocodiles from other regions to release to Bau Sau. So far, 60 freshwater crocodiles have been released in five times to the Bau Sau after their DNA was tested. More than 10 years ago, the crocodiles recovered their natural instincts as hunting and brooding.

Bau Sau in the Cat Tien National Park.

Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) is a freshwater crocodile native to Indonesia, Brunei, East Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. The species is critically endangered and already extirpated from many regions.

The Siamese crocodile is a small, freshwater crocodilian, with a relatively broad, smooth snout and an elevated, bony crest behind each eye. Overall, it is an olive-green color, with some variation to dark-green.

This species is now extinct in the wild or nearly extinct from most countries.

This crocodile is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, and is listed on Appendix I of CITES.

It is one of the most endangered crocodiles in the wild, although it is extensively bred in captivity.

My Nhu