Endangered Chinese alligators come out of hibernation in E China

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More than 13,500 Chinese alligators came out of hibernation and were moved outdoors in east China's Anhui Province last Thursday.

After four months of hibernation, the alligators were transferred to outdoor pools by feeders at the Anhui Yangtze Alligator Nature Reserve. Some 6,000 young alligators will go outdoors in June.

The staff members were able to move the alligators during the early hours of the day because the alligators are less aggressive at lower temperatures.

The Chinese alligator. /VCG Photo

Every year the Chinese alligators are moved into the outdoor reservoir around the middle of March when the weather gets warmer. They will then live outside until the end of November where they will be relocated back inside to start their next period of hibernation.

The Chinese alligator opens its jaws. /VCG Photo

The Chinese alligator is currently listed as a critically endangered species in the wild.

Anhui is home to the majority of the county's Chinese alligators, which are widely known as the Yangtze alligators because they live along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Chinese alligators sunbathing at Anhui Yangtze Alligator Reserve, Anhui, China. /VCG Photo

China has prioritized the protection of the alligator, establishing the Chinese Alligator Breeding Research Center in Anhui in 1979.

Thanks to human efforts to aid in the animal's survival such as enlarging their habitats, the number of critically endangered Chinese alligators living in the wild has grown over the past few years.

(Cover photo via VCG.)

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