Even when they’re just a few days old, it’s wise to take care with crocodiles.

So this zookeeper kept fingers well out of the way as these rare Siamese crocs were shown off at the Crocodiles of the World attraction in Oxfordshire.

Eight were hatched in all, each with a set of teeth which can already deliver a sharp bite.

The birth single-handedly boosted the world's population of Siamese crocodiles by almost 2 per cent, as the endangered species is rarer than the Giant panda.

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Handle with care! These Siamese crocodiles have been born at Crocodiles of the World in Oxfordshire, single-handedly boosting the critically-endangered global population of the species by almost 2 per cent

There are only 500 left in the world and they have been listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Crocodile breeder Shaun Foggett launched the Oxfordshire tourist venue in 2011 by importing a 10ft male Siamese crocodile named Hugo and a female called Rebecca from zoos in France and Denmark.

They paired up in spring this year, and a few weeks later staff saw Rebecca start to build a nest out of soil and bark chippings in her enclosure.

She laid 16 fertile eggs which were very carefully taken from the nest by staff and placed in an incubator for the next 80 days.

Of the 16 large eggs, eight of them hatched over a four-day period. The other eight failed to hatch.

Just a few days old, the babies are now 10ins long and weigh 2oz each.

Rare: Fewer than 500 Siamese crocs are in the wild

The baby crocs are being looked after by staff and fed a diet of insects such as locusts and crickets. This will progress to raw meat including chicken and beef in the next few weeks.

They will be put into their own enclosure at the attraction but Mr Foggett hopes in the future they will be used to set up a breeding programme in Cambodia, home to the wild population of 500.

Shaun, 35, said: 'Siamese crocodiles are critically endangered, three times more endangered than the Giant panda.

'They are over-hunted for the illegal skin trade and they are suffering from habitat loss due to the building of hydroelectric dams.

'They are so threatened that we wanted to give the eggs the best possible chance of hatching by incubating them in controlled conditions and a steady temperature of 30C.

'This is the first time this species has been bred in the UK. We are delighted that we have boosted their worldwide numbers.

Adult Siamese crocodiles grow to 10ft in length and reach breeding age by seven years old.

They often develop brightly-coloured patterns in their scales which makes them more striking than other species. They are also less aggressive, with attacks on humans more or less unheard of.

To some their name may wrongly conjur images of 'Siamese' or conjoined twins - it simply refers to the part of the world from which they originate.

Mr Foggett's business is home to 126 crocodiles and alligators from 14 species and attracts 30,000 visitors a year.

The married father-of-three has always been fascinated by crocodiles and began keeping reptiles from the age of 15.