SHANGHAI DAILY (China) 01 April 06 First a giant panda, now gators released in wild
Six Chinese alligators that were raised in captivity have been released into the wild in east China's Anhui Province, scientists said on Saturday.
The release of the alligators at Gaojingmiao Tree Farm in Langxi County coincided with the release of the first ever human-raised giant panda in Wolong, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The scientists will monitor the six Chinese alligators with wireless tracking devices for 18 months, said Zhu Jialong, director of the Chinese Alligators Breeding Research Center.
The center successfully released the alligators into the wild in Xuanzhou prefecture of Xuancheng in 2003.
Zhu's center chose Gaojingmiao Tree Farm to release the alligators in 2003 after inspecting several sites. The tree farm covers 1,300 hectares and had been the natural habitat of wild Chinese alligators.
To protect Chinese alligators, which have state protection from extinction, the Chinese government set up the Chinese Alligators Breeding Research Center in Xuancheng, Anhui Province, in 1979.
The number of Chinese alligators in the center has risen from about 200 to more than 10,000. The center said it could hatch 1,500 reptiles a year.
The Chinese alligator, also known as the Yangtze alligator, is now safe from extinction, announced Xie Wanshu, former director of the Chinese Alligators Breeding Research Center, in June, 2001.
Despite the protective efforts, the number of alligators has declined by 4 to 6 percent annually, experts said. Only 150 Chinese alligators are believed to be living in the wild, in pockets in east China's Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.
Chinese alligators have existed for 230 million years.
An adult Chinese alligator measures about 2 meters. The alligators feed on mice, frogs and birds. The species had been listed as one of the most endangered creatures in the world.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/05/01/269992/First_a_giant_panda__now_gators_released_in_wild.htm
