THANH NIEN NEWS (Hanoi, Vietnam) 24 March 08 HCMC farmed crocodiles die from water pollution
Several crocodile breeders in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Chanh District are selling off their animals at low prices, fearing the crocodiles will soon die from exposure to severely contaminated water.
Like other breeders in the area, Tran Hoang Dung, head of the Minh Huy crocodile farm, said his animals had begun dying in the last few months while others had red, cloudy eyes.
Contamination of the water in the crocodiles’ enclosure is thought to be the result of factories dumping waste and sewage into a nearby river over the last few years.
According to the Cu Chi District’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources, many factories in the region directly dump untreated waste and sewage into the local Thay Cai Canal.
The polluted water then flows into streams and canals in Binh Chanh District, where the crocodile breeders take their water from.
At two other farms owned by the Saigon Forestry Import Export Company (FORIMEX), some 30 reptiles have also died since late last year.
Luu Thanh Luan, head of FORIMEX’s business department, said the company had sent water samples for testing at HCMC’s Pasteur Institute and results showed that the water had excess levels of iron and oxides among other toxic substances.
The municipal Animal Health Department also determined that many of the crocodiles were suffering from lymphatic infections and necrosis of the liver and kidneys.
Veterinarian Dang Xuan Minh of FORIMEX said the company now doesn’t dare use water from nearby streams to fill the crocodile pools, but instead has to rely on alternatives like tap-water and water-filtering to ensure the reptiles’ health.
FORIMEX and other residents in the area have pleaded with local agencies including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to tackle the problem, but to date no action has been taken.
HCMC farmed crocodiles die from water pollution