AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Nature Morelet's Crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii)

Monkey River Morelet Crocodile.
Google info says they are hunted and scarce in in Belize but thats outdated info. Like a lot of Belize wildlife a new awareness and respect has the population growing.
The people of Monkey River all understand it's value is much greater as something tourist pay to see in a river trip.

This little guy is eating a fish he didn't want to give up.

Pesticides and decreased/flooding breeding grounds are still a major threat.

I would also like to see the data that you have to support this along with the names of the authors of the studies.

Just comments from the guides and people that live around them.
The guides say they don't know anyone who hunts them anymore and their river trips that used to produce one or two sightings are 10 and 20 now. Google/Wikipedia says ,'Morelet's crocodile has long been threatened by habitat destruction and illegal hunting.[10] Both of these factors have significantly lowered their populations.

But thats refering to the 1950's and ,' The CSG monitor all trading of crocodile skins.[12] They help determine if the skins are legal or if they were illegally taken. When this organization started all of the crocodilian species were either threatened or endangered.[12] Today those numbers have greatly changed.
"By 1996 one third of the crocodilian species were abundant enough to support regulated annual harvests, another third were no longer in danger of extinction, but the final one third of the species still remain endangered."[12]
Simon wouldn't you agree awareness all over Belize has changed the nations respect for wildlife, of course their are unpopular exceptions but that not the norm.

These are all from yesterday

I only hear their populations have rebounded since protection

"Simon wouldn't you agree awareness all over Belize has changed".

No I wouldn't. Since Steve Platt did the report in 2000 habitat destruction in the areas of study has increased radically especially in the north.

On Ambergris Caye here in the North the apparent numerous crocodile problems are, yes from development crowding out their natural habitat.
Monkey River in the Southern Part of Belize is where I visited, spoke with guides and residents in the Village and took these photos of fresh water Morelet.

By the north I mean the Orange Walk and Corozal districts. Agricultural practices and "if it moves shoot it" attitude by certain people impact heavily on the populations.