According to the Venezuelan conservation organization FUDECI, fewer than 100 endangered Orinoco crocodiles are left in the wild. Due to decades of poaching for its prized leather, this critically endangered species, which is native to the Orinoco River basin that includes most of Venezuela and Colombia, has been driven to the brink of extinction.

New dangers still exist today. Crocodiles are increasingly being hunted for their meat, and their eggs are harvested for food by struggling Venezuelans. The Venezuelan Crocodile Specialist Group, a tiny group of elderly conservationists, is concerned that the country’s next-generation biologists have left chiefly.

One of the few who remain engaged is 34-year-old Carlos Alvarado. He refers to his job as “a great responsibility” and aggressively seeks out college students to work in the sector. However, according to Federico Pantin, 59, director of the Leslie Pantin Zoo in Turmero, the group is only postponing extinction.

A Relentless Conservation Effort

The team persists in its mission despite the obstacles. It raises adults in captivity in places like Masaguaral Ranch, a biodiversity center and cattle farm in central Venezuela, and the Leslie Pantin Zoo, where it gathers eggs and hatchlings from recognized nesting sites.

After hatching, young crocodiles are given chicken, steak, and vitamins. They stay in care until they weigh around six kilos and are roughly a year old. The first year is the most hazardous, according to FUDECI head Omar Hernandez, 63, who notes that “almost all are hunted” during this period.

The team releases about 200 juveniles into the wild annually. Reuters accompanied scientists in April as they moved this year’s group from the zoo to the Capanaparo River, which is close to the Colombian border. This remote location was chosen to lower the risk of poaching.

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A Fight Fueled by Passion

The group is steadfast in its commitment. The 66-year-old president of the Crocodile Specialist Group, Alvaro Velasco, even has an Orinoco crocodile tattoo. He gently taped the juveniles’ eyes to keep them quiet during the release.

Scientists and volunteers slept in hammocks by the river while travelling across muddy terrain in pickup trucks. The following day, they let the crocodiles go into the greener waters.

Given the continued risks of starvation and low public awareness, Hernandez admitted that many of the released crocodiles may be killed within days. Nevertheless, he highlighted the team’s perseverance, stating they keep working because waiting for optimal conditions would mean doing nothing, not because the circumstances are excellent.

Despite the odds, the conservationists are determined to save the endangered Orinoco crocodiles, believing that every released hatchling brings hope for the species’ survival.

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