Nuisance Calls Prove Florida Crocodiles Recovering
June 20, 1999 - 0:0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. Crocodiles have become a growing nuisance at south Florida golf courses and parks, proof that the endangered reptiles have rebounded from near extinction in the region, biologists said. When the American crocodile was declared an endangered species in 1975, it was found primarily in Everglades National Park and North Key Largo, gateway to the Florida Keys and its numbers were estimated at 200 to 400. The population is now estimated at 500 to 800. University of Florida researchers said they recently spotted crocodile nests in Biscayne Bay north of Homestead, Fla., for the first time in a century.
Crocodile nesting has also been recorded in recent years on Florida's southern gulf coast, at Sanibel Island and the Marco Island Airport. Young crocodiles, rarely seen in Biscayne Bay since 1970s, now mix with people in parks and on golf courses, the researchers said. The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission gets 20 to 30 nuisance crocodile complaints a month, more than for any other endangered animal, said Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida professor of wildlife ecology and conservation.
"Crocodiles now occur in areas where people occur and have become the number one nuisance wildlife endangered species," Mazzotti said. Researchers counted 102 crocodiles during night surveys in Biscayne Bay and around Key Largo between 1996 and 1998. They attributed the crocodiles' comeback to the protection granted under the endangered species act, efforts to preserve their mangrove habitats and the restoration of fresh water flow in south Florida estuaries.
They also credited the extension of cooling canals at the Turkey Point Nuclear Plant south of Miami, which created ideal crocodile nesting sites. South Florida is the only place in the United States where the American crocodile lives and the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles are found, Mazzotti said. "People should not fear crocodiles," he said.
"But they should certainly have every respect for them." Unlike its African and Australian cousins, the American crocodile is not a belligerent species and is even less aggressive than the American alligator, Mazzotti said. "The only time these crocodiles present problems is when people feed them," he said. "Then they not only become used to humans, they associate humans with food.
Unfortunately, they don't know where the handout ends and the hand begins." (Reuter)
Crocodile nesting has also been recorded in recent years on Florida's southern gulf coast, at Sanibel Island and the Marco Island Airport. Young crocodiles, rarely seen in Biscayne Bay since 1970s, now mix with people in parks and on golf courses, the researchers said. The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission gets 20 to 30 nuisance crocodile complaints a month, more than for any other endangered animal, said Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida professor of wildlife ecology and conservation.
"Crocodiles now occur in areas where people occur and have become the number one nuisance wildlife endangered species," Mazzotti said. Researchers counted 102 crocodiles during night surveys in Biscayne Bay and around Key Largo between 1996 and 1998. They attributed the crocodiles' comeback to the protection granted under the endangered species act, efforts to preserve their mangrove habitats and the restoration of fresh water flow in south Florida estuaries.
They also credited the extension of cooling canals at the Turkey Point Nuclear Plant south of Miami, which created ideal crocodile nesting sites. South Florida is the only place in the United States where the American crocodile lives and the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles are found, Mazzotti said. "People should not fear crocodiles," he said.
"But they should certainly have every respect for them." Unlike its African and Australian cousins, the American crocodile is not a belligerent species and is even less aggressive than the American alligator, Mazzotti said. "The only time these crocodiles present problems is when people feed them," he said. "Then they not only become used to humans, they associate humans with food.
Unfortunately, they don't know where the handout ends and the hand begins." (Reuter)