CONFERENCE PROGRAM

CSG Steering Committee Meeting

Dinner "Le Sofitel Thalassa"

A 5-minute walk from the Sofitel Royal Bay.

Welcome and Registration

Opening Ceremony

Invited Symposium - Crocodilians in Extreme and Dynamic Environments

Moderated by: Abdellah Bouazza

Keynote: Diversity, Distribution, and Conservation of the West African Crocodile in the Sahara-Sahel: Assembling a Large Piece in a Complex Puzzle (Dr. Jose Brito)

• Thermal Limits and Stress Physiology in Juvenile Caiman latirostris (María Virginia Parachú Marcó)
• Dynamic Incubation Temperature Variation Influences American Alligator External Genitalia Differentiation (Brandon Moore)
• Salinity, Selection, and Survival: Genomic Evidence of Adaptive Introgression in Hybridizing Crocodiles in Belize (Crocodylus acutus × C. moreletii) (Helen W. Sung, Marisa Tellez)
• The Crocodile’s Maze: Navigating a Human-Made World (Cristian Pizzigalli)
• From Caribbean Apex Predator to Cuban Remnant: Anthropogenic Holocene Range Collapse Dynamics of Crocodylus rhombifer (Sachin Bhardwaj Lock)

CSG Red List Authority WS / CSG EcotoxicologyWS / CSG Zoo TG WS

Session: Threatened Species

Moderated by: Jeff Lang

• Population Status and Nesting Success of the West African Slender-Snouted Crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) in the Tano River Crocodile Sanctuary, Ghana (Emmanuel Amoah)
• Crocodilians in Togo (West Africa): Status, Ecological Insights, and Conservation Challenges (Amétépé Hounmavo)
• The Status of Dwarf Crocodiles in the Mesurado Wetlands (Levi Z. Piah)
• Unveiling Population Density and Hunting Dynamics of Osteolaemus osborni in the Lac Télé Community Reserve, Republic of Congo (Roger Mobango)
• Conservation Challenges of False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) in Arut River, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia (Muhammad Silmi)
• Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) Nesting in Lentic Habitat at Boksar in Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India (Subir Mario Chowfin)

Proposed Symposium: Headstarting & Reintroduction

Moderated by: Nathalie Kpera

• Spatial Modeling of Habitat Suitability for Crocodylus suchus in the Drâa Basin, Morocco (Abderrafea Elbahi)
• Post-Release Monitoring Using Telemetry: Insights from Gharial Headstarting in Nepal (Phoebe Griffith)
• Gharial Fast-Track Headstarting: New Rearing Methods and Post-Release Monitoring (Jailabdeen Ajji Mohideen)
• Improving Reproductive Success and Juvenile Survival in an Ex Situ Conservation Breeding Program for the Siamese Crocodiles in Cambodia (Iri Gill)
• Roles of Captive Breeding Facilities and IPLCs in Protecting Siamese Crocodiles in Cambodia (Han Sam)
• Assessing Post-Release Success of Head-Started American Crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic (Robert Greco)
• Jamaica’s First American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) Headstart Program: Outcomes, Challenges, and Future Directions (Treya Picking)
• How Headstarting Has Contributed to the Orinoco Crocodile Conservation Program in Venezuela (Álvaro Velasco)
• Turning Time Gained into Population Recovery (Pablo Siroski)

Visit: Médina d'Agadir + Traditional Dinner & Entertainment

Shuttle pick-up: 5:30–6:00 PM in front of the Sofitel Royal Bay. Shuttle drop-off directly at the hotel.

Welcome & Registration

Session: Veterinary Sciences

Moderated by: Paolo Martinelli

• Cardiac Shunting in Crocodilians: Established Facts and Open Questions (Lionel Schilliger)
• CrocBSI: A Simple Visual Crocodilian Body Scoring Method (Sally R. Isberg)
• Extraction and Analysis of the Macroscopic and Microscopic Characteristics of Cuban Crocodile Semen (Crocodylus rhombifer) (Virtual) (Irina Fermin Morales)
• Modelling Treatment with a Combination Sulphadimidine–Trimethoprim Antibiotic Against Providencia rettgeri in Hatchling Saltwater Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) (Sally R. Isberg)
• Understanding Behaviour and Endocrine Profiles of Mugger Crocodiles During the Reproductive Period (Brinky Desai)
• Developing a Field-Based Test to Detect West Nile Virus in Crocodilians (Ryan A. Johnston)

Invited Symposium: Ecotoxicology

Moderated by: Pablo Siroski

Keynote: Are Crocodylians Able to Keep Up with a Changing Environment? An Ecotoxicological Perspective (Dr. Jeremie Lemaire)

• Elucidating Patterns of American Alligator Exposure to Legacy and Emerging Contaminants (Miriam Boucher)
• Tissue-Specific Lead Bioaccumulation in Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) Exposed to Lead Fishing Weights for 48 Weeks (Fortunate Davhana)
• Effects of Mercury on Corticosterone Levels of Caimans (Rosanna Mangione)
• Effects of Heavy Metals and Organic Contaminants in Juvenile and Adult Crocodylus moreletii in Various Waterways in Belize (Andrea Torzone)
• Exposure of Sub-Adult Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) to Extreme Lead Concentrations: A 48-Week Experimental Study with Implications for Wild Populations (Xander Combrink, Fortunate Davhana)
• Demonstrating Temporal Trends of Methylmercury in Coastal South Carolina Using American Alligators (Hallie E. Cowan Barrera)

CSG Red List Authority WS

Invited Symposium: Ecotoxicology

Moderated by: Matt Shirley

• Emerging Contaminants in Wetlands: The Effects of Antiparasitic Drugs on Caiman latirostris (Lucia M. Odetti)
• Plastic Ingestion by American Crocodiles in Jamaica: Using Postmortem Examinations to Document an Emerging Conservation Threat (Joseph Brown)
• Exploring Alligator-Ingested Microplastics in South Carolina, USA, and Beyond (Miriam Boucher)
• Comparative Analysis of Alligator-Ingested Microplastics in Environmental and Biological Matrices (Anna Chobot)
• Comparing PFAS Recovery and Analysis from Alligator Blood Among Collection Supplies and a Biological Alternative (Dorothy C. Aldridge, Oumnia Boubad)

Proposed Symposium: Human Crocodile Coexistence

Moderated by: Simon Pooley

• Crocodilian and Human Coexistence Through Policy, Science, Traditional Knowledge, and Conservation (Kirstiana Ward)
• Touch, Tolerance, and Territory: Understanding Crocodile–Human Interactions Through Local Lenses (Yashendu Chinmayee Joshi)
• Temporal Status of Human Dimensions in HCC Mitigation: Reveals Why Education Is Key for Coexistence (Joshua D. Barwick)
• Crocodile Management in a Cultural and Natural World Heritage Landscape, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia (Annabelle Olsson)
• Conservation Status and Human–Wildlife Conflict Dynamics of the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) in Zambia’s Protected Areas (Sandra Mulenga Ponde)
• Coexistence After Conservation: Interview-Based Methods to Understand an Emerging Human–Crocodile Conflict in Nepal (Sabina Shakya)
• Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) Attacks on Humans in Indonesia (Brandon Sideleau)
• Understanding Human–Saltwater Crocodile Interactions in the Andaman Islands, India (Meera Anna Oommen)
• Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) Attacks on Humans in Papua New Guinea (Brandon Sideleau)
• Reservoir Croc – The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) in an Upstream Reservoir of a Dam Site: Conclusions Drawn from a Retrospective Analysis (2012–2015) of the Critically Endangered Gharial in Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India (Subir Mario Chowfin)

Dinner "Le Jardin d'eau"

Le Jardin d’Eau is within walking distance (15 minutes along the seafront from the congress venue) or accessible by taxi.

Welcome & Registration

Session: Management

Moderated by: Carlos Pina

• Do Multiple Recaptures Result in Skinnier Crocs? Insights from 30 Years of Morelet’s Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) Capture Data in Belize (Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez)
• First Island-Wide Assessment of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Jamaica (Treya A. Picking)
• Traditional Water Knowledge in the Nile Crocodile Conservation Conundrum in Southern Africa (Beaven Utete)
• Nationwide Population Assessment of Crocodilians in Belize (Jonathan Triminio)
• Long-Term Monitoring of a Broad-Snouted Caiman Population in an Atlantic Forest Reservoir in Brazil: A Ten-Year Synthesis of Knowledge (Paulo B. Mascarenhas-Junior)
• Refinements and Improvements in the Use of the American Alligator as an Indicator of Everglades Ecosystem Status (Sergio A. Balaguera-Reina)

Invited Symposium: Crocodilian Cognition

Moderated by: Brandon Moore

Keynote: Sound Localization in Crocodilians (Dr. Catherine Carr)

• Studying the Evolution of Fundamental Cognition in Dinosaurs Using Extant Birds and Crocodilians (Virtual) (Stephan A. Reber)
• How Crocodilians Locate Sound Sources (Nicolas Mathevon)
• Investigating Vicarious Trial and Error in the American Alligator: Implications for the Evolution of Planning (Lona Lalić)
• Crocodile Perception of Distress in Hominid Baby Cries (Nicolas Grimault)
• Behavioral Techniques Applied to Wild Crocodiles in Crocodylus acutus (Flavio Morrissiey)
• Gatorland: From Social Media to Survival—How a Florida Icon Evolved into a Conservation Powerhouse (Savannah Boan)

CSG Conservation Priorities WS / CSG Veterinary thematic Group WS

Session: Phylogenetics, Systematics, and Evolution

Moderated by: Kent Vliet

• Genome Architecture, Demographic History, and Molecular Evolution in True Crocodiles Revealed by De Novo Genome Assembly (Ana M. Saldarriaga-Gómez)
• From Deep Time to Conservation Action: Fossil-Informed Insights into Extinction Risk in Crocodylia (Ana Clara M. G. Annes)
• When Genetic Data Complicate Taxonomy: The Challenge of Defining Species in South American Caimans (Patricia Amavet)
• Conservation Genetics of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Colombia: Evidence from Wild and Ex Situ Populations (Felipe Hernandez-Gonzalez)
• Head Shape Variation in Sympatric Crocodile Species of the Yucatán Peninsula: A Geometric Morphometrics Approach (Joana F. Batalha)
• 3D Analysis of Shape Change in the Skull of Gavialis gangeticus Through Ontogeny (Patrick Hennessey)

Session: Crocodilians in Zoos

Moderated by: Fabian Schmidt

• AZA Cuban Crocodile SAFE Strategic Planning Meeting: A Path Forward (Lauren Augustine)
• Behavioral Monitoring of Two West African Crocodiles (Crocodylus suchus) Using Accelerometry and ZooMonitor in Semi-Captivity (Morocco) (Mohamed Mousaid)
• Effects of Incubation Medium on American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Eggshell Thickness (Lauren Cashman)
• Palliative Care of a Large Captive Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) with Metastatic Digital Squamous Cell Carcinoma (Charlotte L. Leyshon)
• Cassius’s Hidden Infection: A Persistent Fibriscess in a Large Male Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) (Sally R. Isberg)
• Moving 850 Crocodiles—Making History (Nikhil Whitaker)

Poster Session

Charity Auction & Cocktail Reception

Welcome & Registration

Session: Community-based & Urban Crocodile Conservation

Moderated by: Marisa Tellez

• Community-Based Approach for Crocodilian Conservation: A Critical Synthesis of Success Factors and Limitations (Kirstiana Ward)
• Challenges, Experiences, and Lessons from Urban In Situ Conservation of the Vulnerable West African Dwarf Crocodile in Ghana (Amétépé Hounmavo)
• Participatory Monitoring and Multisectoral Governance in the Conservation of Broad-Snouted Caiman in Itaúnas (ES), Brazil (Paulo B. Mascarenhas-Junior)
• Promoting Local Community Efforts Towards the Sustainable Conservation of the Critically Endangered Slender-Snouted Crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus) in Southern Nigeria (Emmanuel Amoah)
• Urban Wildlife Management and the Aftermath of a Mortality Event of American Crocodiles at Artificial Sewage Ponds in Jamaica (Treya A. Picking)
• Conservation, Inclusion, and Sustainable Development: The Caiman Program in 2025 (Pablo Siroski)

Session: Population Monitoring

Moderated by: Xander Combrink

• Drones for Crocodilians: A Standardized and Accessible Tool for Rapid Population and Demographic Monitoring (Clément Aubert)
• Detection and Counting of Crocodiles Using Two Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems—Thermal Sensor and Light Spot—in the Faro Region, Northern Cameroon (Mohamadou Awalou Aboubakar)
• Counting and Monitoring Crocodiles and Their Habitats Using Drones in Costa Rica (Laura P. Porras-Murillo)
• Counting Chambal Gharials with Evidence-Based Size Classes to Accurately Estimate Absolute Abundance in the Chambal River, North India (Shashwat Sirsi)
• Bridging Research and Response: Integrating Mark–Recapture and Training to Meet Alligator Monitoring and Management Objectives (Alicia Wassmer)
• Nile Crocodile Nesting Ecology Under Varying Human Disturbance Intensities Along the Lower River Tana, Kenya (Margaret Mosse)
• How Many Crocodiles Are We Missing? Factors Influencing Crocodiles’ Detectability in the Yucatán Peninsula (Coralie O. Galais)
• Using Local Ecological Knowledge to Understand Threats to Crocodiles in the Southern Gamba Complex of Protected Areas, Gabon (Virtual) (Anna TC Feistner)

CSG Taxonomy TG Working Session WS

Session: Crocodilian Ecology & Biology

Moderated by: Venetia Briggs

• Active Thermoregulators vs. Thermoconformers: Environmental Adaptive Strategies in Crocodilians (François Clarac)
• Social Interactions of Crocodiles of the Genus Mecistops (Gray, 1844) in Taï (Côte d’Ivoire) and Loango (Gabon) National Parks (Christine Y. Kouman)
• Influence of Substrate Type on American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) Nest Temperature and Volumetric Moisture Content in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA (Bryna L. Daykin)
• Between 31°C and 33°C: How Temperature Modulates Sex Ratio in Caiman latirostris (Melina S. Simoncini)
• Pre-Oviposition Climatic Conditions Are Related to Offspring Sex Ratios Through Maternal Effects in Caiman latirostris (Florencia E. Valli)
• Scute Transcriptomics Reveals Molecular Biomarkers of Environmental Stress in Morelet’s Crocodiles (Asela Marisol Buenfil-Rojas)

Session: Crocodilian Ecology & Biology

Moderated by: Venetia Briggs

• Protected Forests Sustain Broad-Snouted Caiman Populations After a Decade of a Mining Dam Collapse in Brazil (Daniela Neris Nossa)
• Development of a Blood-Based Age Estimation Tool in the American Alligator (Ethan P. Shealy)

Closing Ceremony

Visit to Crocoparc + Traditional Performances + Dinner "La Table du Croco"

Shuttle pick-up: Sofitel Agadir Royal Bay Resort between 5:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Return at 10:00 PM directly to your hotel.