Raised in Switzerland, at the Aquatis aquarium-vivarium in Lausanne, 16 sacred crocodiles arrived this Friday, June 14, at the superb setting that is the Croco Parc in Agadir. They are destined to complete their growth there, before being released in the south of Morocco in gueltas, namely water holes in the Sahara, where they had been exterminated about sixty years ago. The aim of this repopulation: to save this species by returning it to its natural habitat.
Having left Geneva airport under the supervision of Aquatis director Michel Ansermet, the reptiles travelled on board a private cargo ship, at a good temperature, whereas transport in the hold of an airliner would have lowered the temperature of their environment to around five degrees. The animals did not suffer from this journey, and were also able to survive for months and months without eating. At Crocoparc, they are in a rehabilitation enclosure outside, in order to get used to the temperatures and solar radiation of Agadir.
The sacred crocodiles are known to have good temperaments and to be less aggressive than their Nile counterparts which populate the Crocoparc, in a natural environment which is otherwise magnificent in its diversity (our photo ).
The Swiss sacred crocodiles come from litters in 2019 and 2002. We will later learn that the repopulation operation will take place in June 2025. The locations will be chosen "according to the interests of local populations" and in "a context of sustainable socio-economic development". The released reptiles will be equipped with GPS detectors to track their movements in the wild. A few specimens will be kept at Crocoparc in order to form a breeding nucleus of the species.
This operation is a first on the African continent.
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