Protecting crocodiles

Given the outrage over the jaguar killed and beheaded a couple of days ago, we feel it's time to make public the difficulty we face as an organization protecting crocodiles and shed light on some of the horrific things we see done to these animals that we don't always share with the general public.


This picture was sent to me just before Christmas which was then reported to the authorities. Sadly what is depicted here is no surprise to me, as we see things like this often throughout the year. God only knows how many go unreported that we don't know about, slowly chipping away at the dwindling remaining population.

According to CITES (convention for the international trade of endangered species), both the American crocodile and the Jaguar are listed as appendix I here in country, meaning they are both threatened by extinction in Belize. The American croc is found in fewer countries than the jaguar with fewer numbers. But that's neither here nor there... They are BOTH protected species. They are BOTH deserving of that protection because they are BOTH in danger of extinction in Belize. But where is the outrage for the crocs? The ones we see numerous times each year tortured and killed! And when I say tortured, I mean absolute brutality!! Im talking about tied to a tree alive on land left to die from heat in the jungle sun, I'm talking about captured and beaten with rocks and PVC pipe forced down his throat, I'm talking about mouth taped and tied shut and released to starve to death over many many months, I'm talking about hooked internally by the belly and then beheaded alive!!! The list goes on, and on, and on.

Where is the outrage? Where is the justice?

By ACES / American Crocodile Education Sanctuary