Herps In the News
As crocodile numbers grow, so do encounters with people, pets
Author: Curtis Morgan
Recently there has been a sizeable increase in American
Crocodile encounters in southern Florida. According to the news article, the current
population has increased ten-fold since the 1970s when there was a decrease in
individuals. The increased population is moving into the coastal area where
there is a large density of residential populations.
Last year there was a recorded 106 “nuisance” calls related
to crocodiles, most of which are in the Miami-Dade area of southern Florida.
Compared to the amount of nuisance calls related to alligators, crocodile calls
are a minor problem. But crocodile incidents pose a more complex problem; when
there is a call related to an alligator trappers are permitted to remove the
individual immediately. Incidents involving crocodiles are more of a problem
because trappers will normally not remove a crocodile until there is three
nuisance calls for an individual. There is not a law that they cannot be
removed until a third time but it is practiced because they ‘have to recognize
the need of the species."
"It's a very difficult situation because it's almost
impossible to resolve right now. They're protected so you can't just shoot them
or hunt them."
Residents are upset with the current policy of controlling crocodile
incidents. There have been several occurrences of trappers being called to a
croc where they have not moved the animal. The article states that in a few of
these events there has been a second more serious incident.
Additionally there tends to be repeated incidents because
crocodiles are more inclined to return to the same territory. There have even
been a few occasions where individual crocs have returned after being moved 30
to 40 miles away.
This article is a prime example of how there is a battle
between preserving endangered species and keeping personal interest/safety
first priority. Hopefully there can be some sort of resolution that will keep
residents safe while at the same time protecting the natural population of crocodiles.
2 comments:
Very interesting! I'm glad crocodiles are making a comeback in Florida, and I hope we humans can learn to coexist with them.
It would be interesting to know how they expect this increase in crocodile numbers to interfere with Alligators in form of competition for food and habitat space. Obviously there is an issue with humans and pets but what about the other species that inhabit the same ecological niches as the crocodile? Very happy to see a comeback for these creatures though. Good News for North American species diversity!
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