Chinese families adopt alligators
April 12th, 2012 - 9:39 am ICT by IANSBeijing, April 12 (IANS) A group of Chinese families has adopted 20 endangered alligators from a nature reserve in the country’s Anhui province.
The Yangtze alligator, also known as the Chinese alligator, is a critically endangered species native only to China. It has lived in the Yangtze river area for over 230 million years, Xinhua reported.
Each of the adopted alligators has an ID chip so that families can identify which belongs to them.
According to Wang Chaolin, deputy director of the Anhui Yangtze Alligator National Nature Reserve Administration, this is the first time they have organised adoptions for Yangtze alligators.
“We propose to let more people know of the critically endangered and extraordinary, precious species through finding ‘human adopters’ for them,” he said.
Adopters are expected to pay 500 yuan ($80) to the administration for feeding and protecting their new charges. These people are provided with adoption certificates and allowed to visit the alligators regularly.
“We have known about the nature reserve for 20 years, but we had no idea how to take care of the endangered creatures by ourselves. We adopted one with my grandson’s lucky money,” said a 67-year-old woman surnamed Song.
Another adopter, Yu Genfang, said she did it as a birthday gift for her daughter studying in Singapore.
Wang said, as the activity has proven popular, the administration decided to offer more alligators for adoption, the fees going to support their feed in the nature reserve and the recovery of their wild habitat.
- Endangered Chinese alligators' population rising - Apr 19, 2012
- Reintroduced Chinese alligators now multiplying in the wild - Jul 15, 2009
- Chinese scientists research largest freshwater lake - Aug 03, 2012
- Drought threatens rare dolphin breed in China - May 27, 2011
- Yangtze cowfish on verge of extinction - Mar 12, 2012
- Tibetan antelope population rises in China reserve - Aug 10, 2012
- China's longest river faces worst drought since 1961 - May 23, 2011
- China spends $158 mn on nature reserve - Jan 23, 2012
- Alligators 'burst into songs to form singles clubs!' - Oct 21, 2009
- Critically endangered leopard filmed in northeast China - Apr 18, 2011
- Farming vital for endangered species - Dec 05, 2011
- 170 canaries seized from bus in Colombia - Aug 30, 2011
- 'Lack of political will behind conservation woes' (With Image) - May 19, 2012
- Taiwan does wildlife diplomacy with China - Apr 17, 2011
- China spends $150 mn protecting major river sources - Jan 23, 2012
Tags: adopters, adoption certificates, adoptions, alligator, alligators, anhui province, beijing, birthday gift, chinese alligator, chinese families, creatures, deputy director, lucky money, million years, national nature reserve, old woman, studying in singapore, xinhua, yangtze river, yuan