15,000 crocodiles escape south african croc farm

[bugmankeith]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...rocodiles-escape-from-South-African-farm.html

I dont get why they try to re-capture any that made it into the river, foreign parasites and the fact there are wild crocs anyway you cant tell them apart, so stupid.

 

[jdl]

I would guess it is to reduce the spread of panic. With that many more crocs introduced into a small area, the human fatalities are going to rise. It is a public relations situation.

 

[Tleilaxu]

If this would have happened in the states, they would blame it on irresponsible pet owners dumping their unwanted pets.

As for recapturing, it better simply because any natural area cannot handle a sudden influx of several thousand animals into an area, the local resources wont last and as a result a lot of animals will die off for a time, not just the crocs. And we also have the fact that all these crocs associate humans with food so that is another consideration to take in as well.

 

[BQC123]

They want to recapture because crocodile farms make make money from crocodiles. I don't imagine they care if they get some native crocs as well, and they likely get a good deal of their animals from the wild anyway.

 

[bugmankeith]

I feel bad for the crocs I guess such amazing animals used for food

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

I feel bad for the crocs I guess such amazing animals used for food

Here's the thing...would you rather them hunt the wild crocs, kill them, and deplete the wild populations? Or breed them in captivity for these purposes and allow the wild populations to flourish? This farm raises Nile crocs...they aren't in any real danger anyway, except in a select few parts of Africa.

 

[pitbulllady]

Here's the thing...would you rather them hunt the wild crocs, kill them, and deplete the wild populations? Or breed them in captivity for these purposes and allow the wild populations to flourish? This farm raises Nile crocs...they aren't in any real danger anyway, except in a select few parts of Africa.

Alligator farms here in the US, in FL, LA and SC, are definitely responsible for helping to bring the American Alligator back from the edge of extinction, since they not only filled the demand for alligator products, but supplied many juvenile alligators for restocking the natural habitats. The species owes its continued existence to the 'gator farms.

pitbulllady