by Bob Walsh
The formerly great state of California has a law banning the import and sale of crocodile or alligator products. (I wonder why I can still buy alligator jerkey?) U. S. District Court Judge Kimberly J. Mueller has blocked enforcement of that law and has a hearing scheduled for April 24 on the state of Louisiana's request for a further injunction against the California action.
American alligators were removed from the endangered species act in 1987 and selling the critters has become a major business in Louisiana. The income from the business goes a long way toward protecting their habitat. They do not breed well in captivity so most people in that business collect alligator eggs and hatch them to get their product. They then return a certain number to the wild. The eggs have a very high non-survival rate in the wild as the eggs and hatchlings have many natural predators. The system works out well for pretty much everybody concerned.
Unfortunately the American alligator is very similar in appearance to the Chinese alligator, which is highly endangered in the wild. That being said I am unsure why anybody would go to the trouble to import endangered Chinese alligators when you can practically trip over American ones in Louisiana and Florida.
California is not opposing the injunction at this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment