Can Alligators be Saved - Research Paper Example

Can Alligators be saved? An alligator is a reptile that belongs to the Alligatoridae family. The two alligator species are the American alligatorand the Chinese alligator. Moreover several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the Oligocene epoch about 37 million years ago. (WWF China) The American Alligator, as compared to the Chinese alligator, is relatively of a larger size, measuring four meters in length and weighing over eight hundred pounds. On the contrary, the Chinese alligator is smaller in both length and weight, measuring almost two meters in length. (SREL - Alligator Brochure). Like all animals, in general and reptiles, in particular, alligators are confined to specific, respective habitats and are native only to the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. The American alligators are inhabitants of the southern part of the United States of America and all the states falling that very region. With respect to the Guinness Book of World Records, published in the year 2005, the state of Louisiana was declared as the state with the largest alligator population, in whole of America. The American alligator specie is confined to freshwaters and similar environments. They live in ponds, marshes, mangroves, lakes, swamps, rivers, streams as well as environments with a rich consistency of brine and saline. In order to survive in such environments, the alligators construct gator holes, which are made by the alligators with the use of their mouth and clearing out of vegetation by the tail, henceforth, making a trough or a depression, to survive and hibernate, when required. When a gator hole is constructed in the wetland environment, it leads to an increase in a variety of plants to grow as well as a shelter for most animals, in situation of a drought or a famine, therefore making the alligator, a significant member of the ecological cycle as well as the food pyramid. There are instances when the alligators enlarge their gator holes by digging a pendulous underneath in order to create a stealth den. This tunneling and stealth methods used may extend up to twenty feet. This is not the alligator's nest but merely a way for the reptile to survive the dry season and winters.“During the cold, dry months (October - March), Chinese alligators hunker down in caves or burrows and brumate, rather than truly hibernate -- a way that reptiles respond to cold weather.” (Saint Louis Zoo). The other type of alligators existential in the world, are the Chinese alligators. This type of alligators are residents of the Yangtze River and the adjoining valley The Chinese alligator has been declared as an endangered species and appears on the Red List issued by the International Union for Conservation as well as the World Wildlife Fund. Zoological gardens are home to more Chinese alligators than the aforementioned Yangtze River valley itself. To name a prominent few, the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, the Miami Zoo are the notable alligator sanctuaries in the global picture today. The male animals are always lesser in number and confines itself to specific duties, be it a human or any other animal, such as a lion. Respecting the traditions of the global society and popular culture, male alligators, which are massive in size remain confined to specific areas, separate from the other creatures. The smaller creatures normally remain and stay in unity. The males and females that are larger in size often play the role of the provision of defense and security to the clan and are normally the dominant and the aggressive ones. Despite having a mammoth sized body, the alligators are owners of a very slow breakdown process. They can move very fast, however for very short distances only. An alligator would always hunt down an animal which maybe inferior in size and easy to catch, however like a python or any snake, in general, an alligator needs a single bite to finish off or eat a larger prey, however alligators give preference to animals that can be eaten up, easily. The muscles in the jaw of an alligator are naturally designed in such a way that it permits them to eat, chew and swallow almost anything, as they are extremely powerful and strong, nevertheless the opening powers of the jaw is very weak, contrary to the overall aura of an alligator. It is believed that duct tape can be used to prevent the alligator from opening its jaw. An alligator may be timorous and diffident, wherever humans are involved and may change its course of path, if it encounters a human being. The alligators tend to ignore the existence of human beings and pretend as if they never saw whenever one comes near. That may be because of the fact that they may consider humans as a potential threat, which they actually are, but as stated earlier, alligators are not very social animals and even when amongst themselves, they tend to stay away from each other and in solitude. Because of this very trait of the alligator, the humans have often been attacked while approaching a creature or its nest, leading to a provocation by the humans, towards the animals. In many states across the United States of America, feeding wild alligators, at anytime, anywhere has been declared as illegal and illegitimate. It is believed that this might lead the alligators to lose their fear of the human beings and moreover, become a greater danger to the humans. The diet of an alligator depends on its age, size and the place the animal lives in. Very much like humans, the alligator’s teeth may not be able to chew the food, as they grow weaker. An alligator in its youth would prefer fish, insects, worms and all forms of sea food as it may be, softer to chew, easier to eat and digest. With maturity, the alligators may shift to turtles, mammals, birds, deer and other reptiles. Unlike crocodiles, they take longer enough to categorize humans as prey and normally keep away from them. “Alligators are raised commercially for their meat and skin, which is used for bags and shoes. They also provide economic benefits to humans through the ecotourism industry, since many visitors enjoy swamp tours, in which alligators are highly valued. Their most important economic benefit to humans may be the control of nutria and muskrats.” (Keddy, Gough and Nyman) “Alligators are close to extinction for several reasons. First, alligators are killed for their skins, which are used to make such items as boots, briefcases, purses and wallets. Second, alligators are killed for their meat. The reptiles are often exported, as well as used in their countries of capture, for these purposes. During the 1960s the American Alligator was placed on the endangered species list. However, by the late 1970s, this reptile had expanded in number and, hence, was taken off the list. Today, it is very common to see alligator farms across the southern United States, as alligator skins are sold for leather goods and in the South alligator meat is considered a delicacy” (TED Case Studies). Alligator skin bags, boots and wallets are inarguably the most expensive out of the lot out there. One of the reasons of the increased killing of this reptile is the increased demand for its skin and the high sums of prices offered for it. It is appalling to note that an alligator skin wallet may be sold for as much as five hundred dollars, which most certainly makes the poachers lose count of the value of an alligator’s life. It has also been reported that such is the demand for alligator skin products that in New Orleans, United States of America, people actually reserve an alligator even before it’s egg is hatched. Similarly, the market trends further prove the exceeding demand for alligator skins as the sales of other forms of leather has overall gone down by almost forty two percent. As for the Chinese Alligators, there are several other reasons for the sudden depletion in their number. One of these reasons is the immense and callous loss of their habitat. As the developmental policy being implemented by the People’s Republic of China, there are a great number of dams being constructed on the freshwaters in China. Even though, the construction of dams and barrages may primarily be the reason for the lessening numbers of the Chinese alligators, but there are other natural discrepancies as well which most certainly lead to the problem stated above. These issues include siltation, soil erosion, deforestation, the usage of fresh waters as tourism sites for tourists and most importantly lack of conservation programs for the aquatic life, after all these issues prevalent. (Alligators and Caimans: Alligatoridae) The Chinese alligator is however considered to be in a few dozens in number. With respect to that, the Chinese government took appropriate measures, to conserve and reintroduce the wild Chinese alligators. In 2001, at a conference, by the name of the PIWC, attended by numerous environmentalists from across the world, a white paper document was framed in order to save the Chinese alligator from extinction. This came out as a result of deliberation and discourse amongst professionals and emphasis was laid on breeding programs. The main goals of the conference that were highlighted were based on improving the conditions of the crocodile habitats, establishing populations of the alligators in the wetlands and integration of human activities with coexistence of alligators and reduction of conflicts. As one of the core objectives of this conference was also the reintroduction of the Chinese alligators, there were specific recommendations outlined for that as well. The recommendations in a summation, emphasized on the development of an action plan for the conservation, redefining and ensuring proper habitats for the Chinese alligators, establishment of a protection, management and monitoring protocols for the Chinese alligators and an integration of conservation and development (Thorbjarnarsan and Wang). The conference concluded with the allocation of respective budget for the conservation and reintroduction of the Chinese alligators. The amount was estimated at two million dollars, the funding being provided by the non-governmental organizations such as the SFA as well as the respective federal government of the People’s Republic of China. In order to educate the farmers as well as the masses, a considerable amount of the budget allocated was spent on educating and creation of awareness amongst the masses, so that the pesticides aren’t used against the alligators and the alligator lands aren’t used for farming. The alligators are reptiles that range from large to small, in size and are on the verge of extinction especially in the regions of China. In order to conserve the Chinese alligator, the Chinese government must take appropriate steps which include the sound and proper implementation of this convention which will ensure a decent number of Chinese alligators in this region. The government must also mark the sites where the alligators may be released and may declare them as sanctuaries, where alligator poaching may not be allowed and the freshwaters are kept free of insecticides, pesticides and construction of dams. They must follow the model of the Saint Louise Zoo on a macro level, where the species are bred and let into the wild when mature, in the aforementioned sanctuaries where the alligators do get a taste of the wild but are free of all those factors that may lead to their extinction. Works Cited Alligators and Caimans: Alligatoridae. n.d. 28 August 2012 . Keddy, P A, et al. Alligator hunters, pelt traders, and runaway consumption of Gulf coast marshes: a trophic cascade perspective on coastal wetland losses. In Human Impacts on Salt Marshes: A Global Perspective. Ed. B R Silliman, E D Grosholz and M D Bertness. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2009. Saint Louis Zoo. n.d. 28 August 2012 . SREL - Alligator Brochure. n.d. 28 August 2012 . TED Case Studies. n.d. 28 August 2012 . Thorbjarnarsan, John and Xiaoming Wang. The Chinese Alligator: ecology, behaviour, conservation and culture. Ed. George B. Schaller. Maryland: John Hopkins University Press, 2009. WWF China. n.d. 28 August 2012 . Read More