Photo: Orinoco Crocodile
South America, Orinoco Crocodile, 1998, Photo of the Day, Picture, Photography, Wallpapers - National Geographic
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Orinoco Crocodile, South America, 1998
Photograph by Robert Caputo
"For handbags, belts, and shoes, Orinoco crocodiles in South America were hunted ruthlessly for decades. By the mid-1960s they had been nearly wiped out in the Orinoco River Basin of Venezuela and Colombia. In 1976 hunting was banned, but the damage was done: A census found fewer than 300 animals. Conservationists and scientists have worked hard to bring back this beleaguered reptile, which can exceed 20 feet [6 meters] in length. Four captive breeding centers in Venezuela have reared and released more than 1,300 crocodiles into the Orinoco and its tributaries since 1990."
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