NILE CROCODILE: Threatened Species

Crocodiles are often referred to as living fossils — they’ve remained essentially unchanged since the time when dinosaurs populated the earth. Yet, having endured for this long, the crocodile is now having some difficulty surviving through the late 20th century. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.

We’re listening to the sounds of a seven-month old crocodile.

Dr. Alison Leslie directs the Crocodile Conservation project at St. Lucia Estuary, in South Africa, with the support and assistance of Drexel University. She tells us that the Nile Crocodiles she studies are in decline for a number of reasons, but humans are their primary predator. And that’s partly because we perceive the crocodile as a threat.

“They are dangerous. They have large teeth, powerful jaws. If you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, crocodiles will take you. It’s not that they feed primarily on humans but, you are another of their prey species. Another reason is that a lot of sports fishermen and fishermen in general believe that if there are crocodiles in a system, they are feeding on the fish and depleting fish stocks.”

Now in the past, the crocodile was considered a sacred animal to the Zulu people of South Africa. But times are changing…

“The Zulus have caught on in a way and they are less scared of the crocodiles as they used to be. So now when they find one, the first thing they’ll do is kill it. And they’ve also realized that there’s a monetary value placed on crocodiles and that is the stomach acid and the fluid from the brain is incredibly acidic and is sold to the witch doctor, and he can actually use it as a potent poison. They may only get a couple of dollars worth for a few samples of the stomach acid. But this is what they’re realizing that there is a monetary value on these crocodiles and unfortunately, it’s not a sustainable use at all.”

More on crocodiles in future programs. Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History.

NILE CROCODILE: Threatened Species

Crocodiles have populated Earth since the time of the dinosaurs. Now, their ability to hang on is coming into question.

Air Date:02/05/1998

Scientist:

Transcript:

Crocodiles are often referred to as living fossils -- they've remained essentially unchanged since the time when dinosaurs populated the earth. Yet, having endured for this long, the crocodile is now having some difficulty surviving through the late 20th century. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by the American Museum of Natural History.

We're listening to the sounds of a seven-month old crocodile.

Dr. Alison Leslie directs the Crocodile Conservation project at St. Lucia Estuary, in South Africa, with the support and assistance of Drexel University. She tells us that the Nile Crocodiles she studies are in decline for a number of reasons, but humans are their primary predator. And that's partly because we perceive the crocodile as a threat.

"They are dangerous. They have large teeth, powerful jaws. If you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, crocodiles will take you. It's not that they feed primarily on humans but, you are another of their prey species. Another reason is that a lot of sports fishermen and fishermen in general believe that if there are crocodiles in a system, they are feeding on the fish and depleting fish stocks."

Now in the past, the crocodile was considered a sacred animal to the Zulu people of South Africa. But times are changing...

"The Zulus have caught on in a way and they are less scared of the crocodiles as they used to be. So now when they find one, the first thing they'll do is kill it. And they've also realized that there's a monetary value placed on crocodiles and that is the stomach acid and the fluid from the brain is incredibly acidic and is sold to the witch doctor, and he can actually use it as a potent poison. They may only get a couple of dollars worth for a few samples of the stomach acid. But this is what they're realizing that there is a monetary value on these crocodiles and unfortunately, it's not a sustainable use at all."

More on crocodiles in future programs. Pulse of the Planet is presented by the American Museum of Natural History.