Notes on the Wild Tomistoma Populations in Western Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo

Abstract

Tomistoma schlegelii, the Freshwater Malayan Gharial or Tomistoma (local name: buaya jejulong), is secretive in nature; thus, very limited information is currently available on its wild population, especially in Sarawak. The objective of this study is to describe effort in assessing the Tomistoma wild populations in Ulu Sebuyau, Samarahan, and Serian, western Sarawak. Despite many challenges faced, this research has been successful at different levels. There was no Tomistoma seen during day surveys (2014-2015) in tributary of Samarahan River (Samarahan), Bunga-Baki River (Serian), and Kepayang River (Ulu Sebuyau). However, the research team came across two incidents of Tomistoma captured by the local people: (i) an adult male Tomistoma, captured in February 2015 in peat swamp area of Samarahan River tributary, and (ii) a hatchling, caught in Bunga-Baki River in March 2015. The sightings of Tomistoma in Kepayang River were reported by local people in February 2016; however, no individual was captured. The presence of hatchling in Bunga-Baki River indicates that a breeding population is most likely to occur in the area, and this gives hope for future conservation of Tomistoma in Sarawak. All sampling sites recorded almost similar water quality parameters and landscape of peat swamp areas, which previous studies claimed to be the potential Tomistoma habitats. The findings of this study should help relevant state agencies to step up efforts related to conservation of Tomistoma in Sarawak.

Indian Rock Pythons (Python molurus) rescued from fishing nets

“…5) and dead in fishing nets in different parts of India. Accounts of other crocodilians entangled in fishing nets include the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) (Hutton and Child 1989), Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) (De Silva 2008;Gunn et al 2010;Amarasinghe et al 2015), and False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) (Hassan et al 2016). Fishing nets also have been identified as a major threat to the world's most critically endangered crocodilian, the Indian Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) (Hussain 1999;Sharma and Basu 2004;Bhatta 2009;Katdare et al 2011;Lang et al 2019).…”

Blood Profiling of Captive and Semi-Wild False Gharial in Peninsular Malaysia

“…The false gharial conservation status is vulnerable, as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List [ 7 ], and it is described as having high research and conservation priority by the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG) [ 8 , 9 ]. However, in Peninsular Malaysia, the false gharial is protected under Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, and it is listed as a protected animal in the State of Sarawak Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998); prohibiting its hunting, killing, or the selling of wild false gharial in the state [ 10 ].…”

A Taphonomic Study of Crocodylus porosus (Crocodylidae) and Tomistoma schlegelii (Gavialidae) Remains from Western Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo: Applications for Public Education

“…The saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus has a wide distribution, ranging from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Mynmar, Timor Leste (East Timor), India (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau, Papua New Guinea (including Bismark archipelago and other island chains), the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Solomon Islands (Britton, 2012). C. porosus (locally name: "Buaya Katak" or "Buaya Air Masin") and Tomistoma schlegelii (local name: "Buaya Jejulung") are found in Sarawak (Hassan et al, 2016;Stuebing, Bezuijen, Auliya & Voris, 2006). Previously, both C. porosus and T. schlegelii were in the same family namely Family Crocodylidae but later evidence from nuclear gene inferences had placed T. schlegelii into Family Gavialidae (Willis, McAliley, Neely, & Densmore, 2007).…”

“…Previously, both C. porosus and T. schlegelii were in the same family namely Family Crocodylidae but later evidence from nuclear gene inferences had placed T. schlegelii into Family Gavialidae (Willis, McAliley, Neely, & Densmore, 2007). In Sarawak, the existence of T. schlegelii is less known compared to C. porosus, probably due to the secretive nature of the latter species (Hassan et al, 2016). The distribution of T. schlegelii is limited to the lowland regions of western Sumatra, Kalimantan and western Java (Indonesia), Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.…”

“…The documentation on the density and ecology of C. porosus in Sarawak had been carried out by Bezuijen et al (2010), Cox and Gombek (1985), Gani (2014), Gani and Hassan (2013), Hassan and Gani (2013), Hassan, Adzhar, Gani and Ahmad (2018) as well as Zaini et al (2014). Research on T. schlegelii in Sarawak could be referred to Bezuijen, Shwedick, Simpson and Stuebing (2014), Cox and Gombek (1985), Hassan et al (2016), Md Adzhar and Hassan (2017), Pine (2013), Stuebing, Sah, Lading and Jong (2003) and Stuebing et al (2006).…”