WSVN (Miami, Florida) 25 March 05 Florida Crocodiles Robustly Moving From Endangered To Threatened
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP): The American crocodile has rebounded so robustly that federal officials say they will stop classifying it as endangered.
The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed upgrading the reptile's status to threatened. The change would leave its protection intact while recognizing its improved prospects.
In the 1970s its numbers declined to fewer than 300, and the crocodiles clung to a last stronghold in northeastern Florida Bay. Now its numbers have climbed to as many as one thousand, and its reclaiming its range up both Florida coasts.
Biologists say environmental restoration at Everglades National Park has helped the crocodile's resurgence.
So have the cooling canals of the Turkey Point nuclear power plant on Biscayne Bay and an illegal dredging operation in Key Largo. Both sites turned out to be excellent crocodile habitats.
Florida Crocodiles Robustly Moving From Endangered To Threatened