Ancient Survivors and New Guardians: Dr. Anslem de Silva's lifelong quest to protect Sri Lanka's crocodiles

How a pioneering herpetologist, his son, and a dedicated researcher are fighting to save Sri Lanka’s oldest predators from the brink of extinction

- BY IFHAM NIZAM

In the still waters of Sri Lanka's ancient tanks, rivers, and lagoons, two primeval creatures — the mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) and the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) — continue to lurk, carrying the legacy of over 250 million years of evolution.

Yet their survival today faces its gravest threat — not from nature, but from humans.

At the heart of efforts to understand and protect these ancient reptiles is Dr. Anslem de Silva, Sri Lanka’s most renowned herpetologist. His newly published Crocodiles of Sri Lanka: A Monograph, a sweeping and definitive study, marks the culmination of decades of work.

But behind this epic endeavour stand two other tireless figures: his son Panduka de Silva, and longtime collaborator, Researcher Suranjan Karunaratne.

Legacy Carved in Time

“Crocodilians have survived mass extinctions, but their greatest threat today is humanity.” — Dr. Anslem de Silva told The Island.

Dr. de Silva’s journey began not in a lab, but in the wetlands and rivers of Matara where, as a young boy, he first fell in love with reptiles. Over the decades, he built a reputation as the foremost authority on Sri Lanka’s snakes, amphibians, and reptiles.

But crocodiles — ancient, awe-inspiring, and misunderstood — have remained closest to his heart.