Reptile Expert Bruce Shwedick + The World Crocodile Conference

Bruce Shwedick is the director of Reptile Discovery Programs based in Plant City, Florida and the co-founder of the Crocodilian Conservation Center of Florida which will be based near the central Florida town of Frostproof.

In addition, he is also a member of the IUCN-SSC Crocodile Specialist Group. With over 650 members from around the globe, it is the world’s largest organization focused on the conservation and management of the world’s crocodilian species which at the moment, number at 25.

Bruce provides us with a valuable, and fascinating, conversation.

How is the CSG organized?

It is organized within the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, under the chairmanship of Professor Grahame Webb from Darwin, Australia and it’s executive board members, Alejandro Larriera from Santa Fe Argentina, Dr. Perran Ross from Gainesville, Florida, Christine Lippai from the US and South Africa, as well as Charlie Manolis and Tom Dacey, both from Australia.  Certain CSG members provide scientific advice to the member parties of the CITES convention, they provide updates for the IUCN RED LISTS and the CSG has created a conservation action plan for every crocodilian species as well.

How did you become involved in the CSG?

I begin attending meetings in southern Africa that included many CSG members back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. We talked about my travels back then the last time I was on your program.  In addition to attending CSG meetings in other countries, such as Argentina and Colombia and in Gainesville, Florida, I also submitted reports and photographs of my work with crocodiles to the CSG’s quarterly newsletter.

In 2002, I was formally invited to become a CSG member and I have served on the steering committee since 2008.

Tell us about your trip to the World Crocodile Conference.

In May 2013, I attended the 22nd Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group. It was also called the World Crocodile Conference and it was held in the city of Negombo, which is located on the west coast of Sri Lanka, just north of Colombo. In addition to the meeting, the CSG’s Veterinary Science Working group organized a crocodile veterinary workshop which was held the day before the meeting began. It was organized by Dr. Paolo Martelli from Hong Kong, Dr. Cathy Shilton from Australia, Dr. Gowri Mallapur and Colin Stevenson from India and Anslem de Silva, who is considered to be the father of modern herpetology in Sri Lanka.

When I heard about the workshop, I attempted to register but was informed that the registration was limited to 50 people and it was full. I was then referred to Dr. Gowri. As I had not previously met her, I contacted my close colleague, Colin Stevenson. Originally from Australia, at that time he was the director of the world-famous Madras Crocodile Bank and Center for Herpetology in Chennai. He said to me, “No worries, Bruce.” “The workshop will be held at the zoo in Colombo and you can help me with capturing the zoo’s salt-water crocs that will be handled as part of the veterinary demonstrations.” He went on to explain that the vets will be teaching health assessment procedures and demonstrating medical techniques such as drawing blood samples.”

I thanked him and told him I would catch up with him upon my arrival. Attempting to catch up with Colin turned out to be just the beginning of my Sri Lankan adventure.

Before my arrival I was contact by a young man from Sri Lanka named Avishka Godehewa. He asked me specifically on what time and date my flight would arrive. I thought he was from the meeting’s organizing committee and was arranging for my ground transportation, so I gave him my details. It turned out he was a high school student that, like me, was very passionate about crocodiles. He just wanted to know when I was coming in. When I arrived at the Colombo airport there was no one there to meet me. I needed to find Colin, so I took a cab to an internet café. Once there I wrote Colin but did not get an immediate reply.

As Colin told me he would be in Colombo, I took a cab to the city, instead of going directly on to Negombo.

What a thrill! The taxi driver dropped me near the harbor by the area which features many historic buildings constructed by early Dutch colonists. Several people asked me if I needed any help. They asked if I was a sailor off one of the ships docked in the harbor. When I learned that there was not an internet café nearby, I asked a Tuk-Tuk driver if he could take me to a place for lunch. However, I had a specific request. I explained that I wanted him to take me the place where he went to lunch. I wanted a place that would serve local food, and that would not be expensive. He agreed and we were off. I thought something might be wrong when we left the old part of the city and he started driving me on the main across to the far side of the harbor. It was quite a tour though and I was able to get a good view of the harbor including the old British administration building. We finally arrived at a very nice hotel and he informed me that I could have lunch here. I asked him if he would be joining me and he declined and said he would wait. When I entered the hotel, I inquired about lunch and was directed to the second floor. There I found a buffet complete with everything imaginable!

If you are not familiar with Sri Lankan food it is similar to Indian food based upon rice and curries, but the unique spices and seasonings give it a distinctive and delicious flavor. In addition, being by the sea, there was plenty of seafood as well!

I never found Colin that day and that afternoon the Tuk Tuk driver transported to the meeting’s venue hotel in Negombo.

It cost about $50. for my brief but lavish Colombo experience and if not for Avishka, I would not have seen the harbor at all during my visit!

The next day we were transported by bus to Sri Lanka’s National Zoo located in the town of Dehiwala. It is located just south of the city of Colombo. Colin and I assisted Dr. Martelli with the crocodile captures and everything went smoothly. That is just how we like it, no drama! After the capture and handling and veterinary demonstrations, a group of young men wearing dark blue shirts approached me and started asking me questions. I explained to them that in the early 1970’s my older brother Michael and myself began presenting educational programs about reptiles and that one of the first reptiles that my brother acquired for our programs was a seven and a half foot long Sri Lankan python that he named Samadani. Back in those days the Sri Lankan python was considered to be a sub-species of the Indian python, known to science as Python molurus, it was given a sub-species name of pimbura which means python in Sri Lanka’s sinhala language. Samadani became a part of our programs and a part of our lives for twenty years. I then explained that my brother and I had also raised both species of Sri Lanka’s crocodiles.

Which species of crocodiles are found in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is home to the Mugger and to the Saltie. The Mugger is an inhabitant of fresh-water habitats throughout the lowlands of the island. It is also found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Iran. It is similar in size to the American alligator ranging from about 7 to 11 feet and occasionally reaching 13 feet. In is normally shy and typically only bites people defensively.

The Saltie, also known as the Salt-water, Estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile is the world’s largest reptile. It is found in coastal situations along Sri Lanka’s west and southern coasts, but to a lesser extent also on the east coast. It has an expansive range from the north-east coast of India to Australia, including the islands of Oceania. Males often reach 14 to 16 feet and a specimen captured in 2011 in the Philippines measured twenty feet, three inches. It was the first twenty-foot crocodile to be found anywhere since one drowned in a fisherman’s net in Papua New Guinea in 1979 and the first 20-foot croc to be captured alive in modern times.

In Sinhala, the Mugger is called Hala Kimbula which refers to fresh-water crocodile and the Saltie is called Gata Kimbula which refers to salt-water crocodile. The Saltie is occasionally still referred to as “minikana” which means man-eater. It does prey upon human beings, in addition to a typical crocodilian diet, and Sri Lanka was one of the first countries to construct large numbers of protective barriers in order to allow people to have access to water without fear of a crocodile attack.

What happened next?

The young men in the blue shirts were member of the Young Zoologists’ Association of Sri Lanka, also known as the YZA. Founded in 1972, it has over 450 members, ages 13 to 35,  and is based at the Dehiwala Zoo. No sooner did I mention my experiences with Sri Lankan reptiles, they grabbed me by the arm and lead me into the zoo’s reptile building. There they took me behind the scenes and draped a seven and half foot-long Sri Lankan python across my arms! They also brought out other reptiles, including a cobra, a variant of the Indian cobra, and like the pythons, the cobras in Sri Lanka are known for their rich coloration.

Then I was asked by the young men, if I would speak to some of their members at the zoo that afternoon. I agreed and after lunch was taken to a building on the zoo grounds where I spoke for an hour about my work with reptiles and with the CSG. It was as if the lecture had been arranged weeks in advance and for me personally, it remains one of the highest honors in my lifetime. You see Marylin, as a young man I had always dreamed of visiting Sri Lanka, but never imaged it would ever be possible.

The CSG’s formal meeting began the next day and during a coffee break I was approached by a member of the YZA, the Young Zoologists’ Association based at the National Zoo of Dehiwala.

He explained to meet that after the meeting, the YZA would be traveling to a rainforest to collect litter left behind by visitors. He invited me to join the trip and I accepted his invitation.

Some of my colleagues were planning to travel to the south-west corner of the island to visit Yala National Park. It is renowned for its populations of elephants, leopards, sloth bear, deer and lots and lots of Muggers.

Unfortunately for me, it was beyond my travel budget to attend.

Some of my colleagues were looking for less expensive alternatives for a post-meeting field trip and I invited two of them to join me on my excursion with the YZA. The responded positively. However, several days later they approached me during an evening dinner event. The room was loud with conversation and when they spoke to me, I only caught a part of what they said. It was something like; “Bruce, we’re sorry but we cannot join you on your field trip, the group is going to………..and we are not equipped for that.”

I said, no problem and wondered to myself, “Where are we going and am I equipped?” As I had made a commitment to the group, I decided not to change my plans. Following the meeting we traveled once again to the National Zoo and I was informed we would depart late that night.

One of the group’s members named Janith Jayarathna helped me find a hardware store in town where I purchased two stout pieces of wood, similar to the handles of a shovel. I planned to give them to the zoo’s reptile curator and to explain to him how we sometimes use them during the process of restraining a crocodile’s jaws.

After securing the crocodile with a rope and then placing a small, wool blanket over the head and neck, one pole is placed on each side of the jaws. This makes it a bit safer to then secure the crocodile’s jaws before we actually place our hands on the animal. The blanket gives both the croc and the handlers an extra layer of protection.  

Janith and I used the sticks that day as walking sticks and we walked all across the town to the beach and back. It was a long walk and little did I know, it was preparing us for our journey ahead.

Upon returning to the zoo, I asked if I could use a computer to access the Internet. I did not research our destination because it was still unknown to me. I was directed to the office of the zoo’s deputy director, Mrs. Renuka Bandaranayake. She allowed me to use a pc and afterwards she looked at me said, “So, you are going with the group?” I replied, “Yes.”

She then asked, “What do you have to wear?” I replied, “My field boots, my jeans and heavy shirt, and the YZA has also given me one of their uniforms to wear.”

She shook her head and walked over to a low cabinet. She removed a rain jacket and rain pants and said, “Here, these are mine. You may wear them. Please return them after your trip.”

I thanked her and then arrangements were made for me to get some sleep in one the rooms at the zoo used by their nighttime guards.

The bus left late at night and after traveling for some time we stopped in town where we entered a shop for hot tea and snacks.

As our journey continued, we began traveling on winding roads that grew steadily higher in elevation.

We arrived in the very early morning hours in the village of Nallatanniya. The bus was parked in a large lot and we entered the town which featured enormous statues of Buddha, one of which was reclining, and one was seated.

We ate a big breakfast at a local restaurant and were given a tour of the national park’s office which included a display of what the office looked like many years ago, complete with a vintage typewriter. The wall was adorned with the skin of an enormous python.

After the sun was up, our journey began, and we walked as a group for several kilometers. Our view consisted of forest covered hills upon which we could periodically see distant waterfalls.

Periodically the group would stop. A small gecko was observed on the side of an elevated area next to our path. The group gathered around it with such interest, it appeared as if they were observing a treasure. From their perspective as student naturalists, it was.

Eventually our path came to an entrance way and the path became more elevated. When we crossed a bridge over a fast-moving river. I asked, “Do we start cleaning here?” “No” was the reply.

When we reached the beginning of a series of wide steps made of concrete and stones, I asked, “Do we start cleaning here?” “No, someone else will clean here.”

Eventually I was given a woven bag and a pair of latex gloves. Then they explained, “now we clean.”

I also learned about our destination, we would be ascending to the top of Sri Pada, also know as Adam’s Peak.

We would be climbing 5,200 steps to the summit, where we would spend the night at a Buddhist temple, known for a rock depression believed by Buddhists to be the footprint of the Buddha, by Hindus to be the footprint of Shiva and by Muslims and Christians to be the footprint of Adam.

Just for reference to my friends from the Washington, DC area where I grew up, the Washington Monument has 898 steps. As a child, my family went to the top of the monument, but we may have taken the elevator! The stairs up have been closed to the public since 1971 due to visitors suffering heart attacks. The stairs down were closed in 1976 due to people being injured in falls.

So, our cleaning began. Most of what we collected were small plastic food wrappers and sandals. They were mostly plastic or rubber sandals, similar to those that in the US we would call flip-flops.

As we climbed higher, the weather grew cooler and we were pelted with periodic rain that got heavier and colder the higher we climbed.

Every so often, we stopped at small kiosks which were essentially food stalls with tables and benches or chairs. They were enclosed with a light framework of wood and covered in plastic sheeting.

We enjoyed more hot tea and even more delightful warm food.

I did not pass any litter or sandals that I did not pick up. I worked like a vacuum cleaner and soon my gloves were torn to shreds.

The steps were wide, but I quickly noticed that if you left the wide steps and ventured too far to the right, you could fall and fall to your death in a raging river. I noticed that if you ventured too far off the steps to the left, you would also fall, but only far enough to break your legs. So, caution was required.

We came to a wide clearing which was used as a campsite by one of the national park’s staff members. One member of our group noticed a plastic bag with contents inside of it. He picked it up and emptied it upon the ground. Out fell a sandal and a live snake!

It was the Mapila, also known as the cat snake. For my fellow students of herpetology, it was a small member of the genus Boiga. A mildly venomous rear-fanged snake.

After observing the snake seek a new shelter from the cold, we continued our accent which, in total, spanned many hours.

Eventually we came to a place where the steps narrowed, where they became much steeper and wear a single railing was situated in the center.

By that time, our group was well spread out, as we had been assigned to smaller groups and given specific areas to clean.

I declared to those nearby, “I am exhausted from the work and the cold, wet weather. I must stop cleaning now and just climb or I will not have the strength to reach the summit.”

By the time I reached the summit and the temple, it was dark. I was asked to remove my hat and my shoes and then instructed to cross a courtyard and to strike a bell. To westerners it would be called a gong, but instead of striking with an object swung to the side like swinging a baseball bat, it is struck with a large metal rod suspended on a rope or cable. I was instructed to just push the rod towards the bell and to strike it only once, as this was my first visit to the temple.

I was then led to an area inside that resembled a basement with a smooth cement floor. I was given a message from the Buddhist priests. The message was, “Thank you for what you did today.”

After receiving that unexpected message, I was led to a woven mat of the floor next to one of the building’s support beams. I was told, “You will sleep here.”

As I looked around, I saw that many members of the YZA were sleeping side by side with the girls on one side of the room and the boys on another. I also noticed that they had changed into dry and very warm clothing.

Sometime later, I was awoken. They said, “Mr. Bruce, we woke you because you were shivering violently.” Indeed, I was. I felt like my remaining body heat was being drawn out of my body and into the concrete floor. I felt like I was suffering from hypothermia.

Members of the YZA began handing me some of the extra items of warm clothing that they had brought with them, including a cloth hood one might use for skiing and they moved me to a place between a group of the male students where I would be better insulated from the cold.

When I awoke early the next morning, it was still dark outside. I began to prepare to leave. Someone said, “Mr. Bruce, where are you going? I responded. “I have to leave now, or I am going to die from the cold.”

Please keep in mind that I have lived in central Florida for more than twenty-five years and that during the winter when the temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night, we feel like we are out on the arctic tundra!

I was informed that I must not depart from the 7,200-foot summit until after the sunrise. They took me outside to witness what appeared to be the conditions of a winter storm, with cold rain blowing sideways against the dark sky.

As the sun began to rise, more visitors began to arrive. They had climbed the mountain during the night.

Some of them wore insulated jackets with fur lined hoods, these were outfits used by climbers and came complete with gloves and goggles!

We watched the sunrise, and, in the distance, we could see beautiful lakes scattered across the distant landscape.

My friend Janith appeared and told me that now we would clean the area surrounding the temple.

I replied, “I cannot, I must begin my descent.” I was still suffering from fatigue and exposure to the cold.

Once I reached a lower level where the sun was warming the mountain, I stopped to rest and to bask in the sun. After a short while, I felt much better.

As I looked around, I noticed the bags. The bags of litter and sandals that we had collected the day before.

I thought, “I bet this not like what would happen in America, where at the end of a weekend nature clean-up, the parents of high school students would arrive to fill the beds of their pick-up trucks with all litter that had been collected by their kids.”

I suddenly realized that the members of the YSA would be carrying it all the way back down the mountain by themselves!

I approached two bags that were closest. I lifted them one a time. One was heavy, one was a bit lighter.

I thought, “Which one can I carry all the way down the mountain.” I could not find a strong stick in order to carry both across my back, so I chose the lighter bag, not being certain that I could carry the heavy one the entire distance.

I made it safely down the mountain and began the walk back along the path. It seemed to be ten times longer that it had been the day before and periodically I would ask for directions, just to be certain that I was on the correct path that would take me back to the town and especially, to the bus.

When I returned to the bus, I changed from the long black pants of my YZA uniform, back into a pair of dry blue jeans. I walked to the town and enjoyed a lunch.

It was hours later when the YZA members began to return. They were exuberant and although some were carrying individual bags like I had, some were carrying two bags, each tied to the ends of a pole and held across their shoulder. Others had tied their bags together and as a group they were carrying a large number of bags.

Once everyone had returned to Nallatanniya, a ceremony was held and all the litter we collected was weighed. It totaled 1,600 pounds.

Every year 20,000 religious pilgrims of many faiths make the journey to the summit of Sri Pada. Many discard their sandals along the way, so that when they arrive at the summit, they are barefoot.

For the past twenty years, the dedicated member of the Young Zoologists Association have made the annual ascent as well, to renew the environment for Sri Lanka’s diverse wildlife and also for the benefit of those people that will visit this special place in the year to come.

It was a remarkable experience for me, and I have just one hope, to ring the temple bell, with the YZA, at least one more time.

Although my time in Sri Lanka was brief, my visit will remain with me to the end of my days, along with the friendship of all those I met.

After returning to Colombo, I would join another new friend, biologist Dinal Samarasinghe, and travel to the southern end of the island to the city of Matara. There I would join him and his team on a survey of salt-water crocodiles in the Nilwala river. It was my first survey of Asia’s wild crocodiles, the first of many I have joined since then.

If you enjoy surfing, birding and eco adventures, or if you are a foodie and enjoy visiting historic and religious sites, when it is possible, you should definitely consider adding Sri Lanka to your list of future adventure travel destinations!

Acknowledgements

Bruce would like to express my appreciation to the National Zoological Gardens of Sri Lanka in Dehiwala and the Young Zoologists’ Association of Sri Lanka for the kindness and hospitality extended to me during my visit and travels in Sri Lanka.

And he would like to thank Shositha Liyanage, Avishka Godahewa, Tharaka Priyadarshana and Christine Lippai for their assistance in my preparations of this travel memoir.