SOUTH MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - American crocodiles appear to be back from the brink of endangerment thanks to a program centered around Florida Power and Light’s Turkey Point plant in South Miami-Dade.
Once endangered, the reptiles now seem to be making a serious rebound.
“They’re evolutionarily wired to survive,” said FPL wildlife biologist Michael Lloret.
The crocodile comeback is taking place in a setting one might not necessarily associate with wild animals.
“You can see when they come to retrieve their babies, they open this big old hole up, and there’s actually real American crocodile egg fragments in here,” said Lloret.
While airboating near Turkey Point, the biologist described how the canals surrounding the plant are ideal for these crocodiles.
“Obviously, we’re here to create energy, but we have 168 linear miles of cooling canals that just make absolutely perfect habitat for the America crocodile,” he said.
A fourth of American crocodiles call Turkey Point home, so FPL deployed a team of researchers to monitor the rare and vulnerable crocodile population at the plant.
“We put microchips in them, just like you do your dogs and cats,” said Lloret. “It gives each one of these crocodiles a unique number so that we’re able to identify them every time we’re out in the field.”
It’s currently hatching season, and on Monday night, biologists rescued 73 hatchlings.
“We try to get them back to the wild as quickly as we can,” said Lloret.
Once the recently rescued baby crocodiles are hatched and tagged, they will be released back in the wild, in the hopes the rare reptile will rebound from the brink of extinction.
“The future is bright for the species,” said Lloret.
There are believed to be only about 2,000 American crocodiles in all of the U.S. About 500 of them live at Turkey Point.
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