Crocodile
Crocodile pictures can be viewed in the “Prints”
and “images” selection.
Saltwater Crocodile – Conservation &
Trade
Conservation/Trade
Crocodiles are generally viewed as man-eaters, for justifiable
reasons as a number of people are maimed or killed each year. Sadly,
human tragedy could have been avoided in many cases by increased awareness
of the creatures’ natural habitat. Loss of life has however led
to a degree of antipathy towards the species (similar to sharks) making
conservation more difficult to implement.
Given the salties’ large distribution, controlling the trade for
skins and bodily parts is difficult. The commercial value of the saltwater
crocodile hide is the most valuable of all crocodilian species, due
to the lack of ventral osteoderms (surface ridges that otherwise make
tanning difficult) and the large size and shape of its belly scales.
Unregulated hunting and limited international control between 1945 and
1970 has caused a dramatic decline of its populations worldwide. Australia
has the most notably controlled trade and protection for the saltie
of any country. Protection in some countries is often ineffective. Illegal
trading is insignificant compared to the killings’ occurring each
year due to fear of the animal.
Nowadays only self-sustainable farms registered with CITES (Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species) are allowed to legally
trade the salties’ hide and bodily parts. The trade in crocodile
skins earns over US$200 million annually in international trade followed
by over ten times that amount in retail sales.
For more information view the next page of images.