Outlook for crocodiles

Crocodiles were already around when the dinosaurs ruled the earth, and they are the only reptile species that survived millions of year almost unchanged: living witnesses of an age long gone – the era of the saurians.

We humans hold the doubtful honour of having brought all 23 crocodile species to the brink of extinction or at least reduced their number dramatically within just a few decades. However, in the 1970s people began to change their minds dramatically: crocodiles are no longer perceived solely as merciless and cruel killers that need to be exterminated; wildlife protection programmes were introduced that are starting to have an effect. Today, eight species are once again widely distributed, another eight are no longer threatened by extinction, but the remaining seven species are still very much at risk.

Helmut Pechlaner visited successful endangered species projects overseas, among them Proyecto Yacaré, a model reserve in Argentina.