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Crocodiles Are Better Off than Ever |
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By Dalia Acosta*
The populations of two endangered species of this reptile are expanding in Cuba thanks to crocodile farms, conservation policies and the control of exports, although poaching continues, motivated by domestic demand.
HAVANA - Crocodile protection and reproduction programs have been successful in maintaining sustained growth of the populations of some of these species in Cuba, in spite of the constant threat posed by poachers.
The Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer), and the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus), two endangered species, are seeing continued growth of their populations, say Cuban researchers.
At a crocodile nursery in the northwestern Zapata marsh, a wetland that UNESCO (United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization) has declared a Biosphere Reserve, live some 3,000 Cuban crocodiles, twice the number that existed in the early 1990s
In 2000 alone, 800 were hatched there, according to authorities.
"There are two females for every male, and nearly 100 percent of
the females reproduce each year," says biologist Roberto Ramos,
an expert at the reserve -- which receives 100,000 visitors each
year.
Of every 100 crocodiles born in the wild, just 10 survive, while 90 percent of those born in captivity reach adulthood, report the scientists.
The Cuban crocodile once again inhabits Lainier marsh, on the Isle of Youth, thanks to a government-led project. The species had disappeared from that island in 1978.
In several Cuban provinces, scientists raise American crocodiles until age five or six, then release them into their natural environment.
"This is an effort to ensure that the species does not become endangered again," comments biologist Alexis Vega, at the Sabanalamar research station in Pinar del Río province, 200 km west of Havana.
On Cuba's far eastern tip, meanwhile, a group of scientists has been tracking a population of some 200 females since 1992 that gather to nest at a site known as Jobalito, on the Monte Cabaniguán reserve.
In 1995, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) authorized the export of Cuban crocodiles. But sales are closely controlled and the nurseries are run by state agencies, placing priority on conservation.
This Caribbean island exported 99 Cuban crocodile skins in 1995. A year later, the total foreign sales were just 44 skins, reports the crocodile specialist group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
An estimated 10 million crocodile skins are sold annually around the world to be used in making shoes and accessories like handbags, wallets and belts.
But in Cuba, government control of exports has closed the channels for any contraband destined for the world's leading markets for crocodile leather in Europe, United States and Japan.
The menace to the Cuban nurseries comes from poachers, who sell the crocodile skins to local artisans. The meat of this reptile is also in high demand at small, privately run restaurants, apparently fed by the belief that it holds aphrodisiac qualities.
Those who are caught dealing in these endangered species or their
products face a fine of 5,000 Cuban pesos (some 192 dollars on the
parallel market) and the seizure of all merchandise.
* Dalia Acosta is an IPS correspondent.
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