Diseases in young farmed crocodiles in Irian Jaya

Thirty-eight young crocodiles that were emaciated and were euthanased or were found dead on 12 farms in Irian Jaya were examined post mortem. Major diseases were coccidiosis (nine crocodiles), pentastomiasis (four), visceral gout (two) and bacterial pneumonia and septicaemia (two). Other diseases and infections were steatitis, fungal pneumonia, gastric capillariasis, haemogregarine infection, ascariasis, filarioid infection and the presence of flukes in the intestine, kidney and blood. Multiple parasitism due to the collection of hatchlings in the wild was considered the primary cause of the ill-thrift and death of the crocodiles.