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The conservation status of the Chinese alligator

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

John Thorbjarnarson  and
Wang Xiaoming
John Thorbjarnarson
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China. E-mail: wxming@public3.sta.net.cn
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Abstract

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The Chinese alligator Alligator sinensis is one of the world's most endangered reptiles. At one time widespread throughout much of the lower Yangzi River basin, the remaining wild individuals are now restricted to a small area in southern Anhui Province and perhaps in adjacent Zhejiang Province. Population estimates conducted in the 1980s suggested that only 500–735 wild individuals remained at that time. Current figures suggest that the wild population is c. 400 individuals and continues to decline. The principal factor contributing to historic population decline has been habitat loss, but deliberate killing of alligators and the heavy use of pesticides have also had significant negative effects. The current conservation programme in Anhui Province is based on captive breeding and the establishment of a reserve for small groups of wild alligators. However, the inferred recent decline in the size of the wild population suggests that the reserve design is inadequate for the long-term survival of alligators. Programmes to survey the status of the remaining wild populations and evaluate the feasibility of establishing new wild populations by reintroducing captive-bred animals are currently being developed.

Keywords

ChinaChinesealligatorsconservationreptilesstatus
Type
Research Article
Information
Oryx , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , April 1999 , pp. 152 - 159
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1999

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