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Chinese Alligators Allowed to Export for Commercial Purpose
Artificially bred Chinese alligators are allowed to export for commercial purpose, according to China's Endangered Species Import & Export Management Office.
The application has been passed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), said Zhang Qi, an official with the office.
The number of Chinese alligators bred artificially has risen by a great margin in the past few years, which is considered ready for commercial trade, Zhang said.
Chinese scientists began research on artificial reproduction of these reptiles as old as dinosaurs in 1979 and the number of artificially bred Chinese alligators has increased from about 200 10 years ago to more than 9,000 today.
But the export volume will be strictly limited and wild Chinese alligators are still banned from trading, he added.
Chinese alligators are considered rare and precious as it is one of the few species that originated from the same period as dinosaurs but have survived to date.
The reptiles now only live in east China's Anhui Province along the lower section of the Yangtze River. Wild alligators totaled less than 500 in 1979, according to an investigative report. Experts noted that the number is reducing.
Chinese alligators are relatively small and mild, compared with other sorts of alligators, with the body length of 2 meters at most and the weight varying from 10 to 20 kilograms.
It was listed as an endangered species by the United Nations in 1973 and has been under the state first-class protection since then. The country has developed 13 nature reserves for it, covering a total area of 440 square kilometers.
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