The Department of Fisheries will hold a public meeting at the Phuket Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre in Pa Khlok at 1pm to discuss what to do with Leypang as the crocodile is now considered to be “the property of the nation”.
The news broke yesterday (Nov 15) when Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University in Bangkok and official advisor to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), posted on Facebook a copy of the official invitation for him to join the event.
The formal invitation was dated Monday (Nov 13), and Dr Thon has already posted on his Facebook page that he will be unable to attend.
However, Dr Thon also noted that he has already made his position on what should be done with Leypang very clear – that regardless of what decision is made, all people, including the public, must agree to it as the solution. (See story here.)
The invitation also revealed that DNA tests had confirmed that Leypang is a mix of two species of crocodiles: the freshwater crocodylus siamensis and the saltwater crocodylus porosus.
Neither how Leypang came to be a “mongrel croc” was not explained, nor was which area Leypang originated from.
“Stay tuned for the news tomorrow,” Dr Thon noted in his post yesterday.
“I am confident that the Department of Fisheries will come up with the best solution for Leypang,” he added.