Battle to save starving crocodiles

The crocodiles are culled for their skins

By South American correspondent Tom Gibb

Conservationists say thousands of crocodiles in the South American country of Paraguay are dying because a major river that irrigated their swamplands has been diverted for agricultural use.

More than 10,000 South America crocodiles, known as Yacares, are now starving to death, or being entombed in the mud as the lakes dry up, experts say.

The lakes and swamps along the border of Paraguay and Argentina used to be flooded with the waters of the river Pilcomayo, which runs from the snows of the Andes.

But since 1996, the floods have not arrived and the water has instead been diverted off for irrigation in Argentina.

Numbers of the crocodiles, which are an endangered species, had been increasing before this disaster.

But landowners say that now more than 40 or 50 of the creatures are dying every day on their farms.

Clubbed to death

The Paraguayan authorities, arguing the animals will die anyway, have ordered a massive cull.

The killing is done at night when the crocodiles are hibernating in the cold, otherwise it would be far to dangerous.

The animals can grow up to two and a half metres in length.

The crocodiles are speared and then hauled to the surface to be clubbed to death.

Afterwards they are skinned and their hides used for leather.

The idea is that by killing the larger animals they may be able to save the rest.

However, that depends on the waters of the river being diverted back to once again flood the region, and at present there is no sign of that happening.