PHNOM PENH—A critically endangered Siamese crocodile was rescued in Cambodia with a trap designed by late Australian "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin, but conservationists on Friday said other reptiles remain at risk.
Fauna and Flora International (FFI), which had spent two years planning the attempt to free about 10 crocodiles trapped by the construction of a hydropower dam, said it was "disappointing" that only one animal was caught.
Rescue workers from Cambodia and Australia tried for weeks to capture the animals isolated in a 750 meter (820 yards) stretch of river in southwestern Pursat province, FFI project manager Adam Starr told AFP.
But just one female crocodile took the bait in the mesh-net trap developed by Irwin, the world-renowned animal expert and environmentalist who was killed by a stingray barb in 2006.
Conservationists said other crocodiles in the colony had sometimes been too wily for Irwin's traps -- swiping the bait without getting caught.
FFI estimates there are just 250 Siamese crocodiles left in the wild, most of them in Cambodia.
The crocodile was transported by helicopter "to a different river 10 kilometers away from the construction site", Starr said.
The healthy female, measuring 2.1 meters, has been in her new environment since March 26.
"For everyone on the team, it was pretty disappointing we only caught one female, especially when we know there are more crocodiles there," Starr said.
He added that they were now taking a break from the labour-intensive and expensive rescue mission before considering their next move.
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