West African crocodiles were reintroduced to Morocco on Wednesday, after having evolved in Switzerland. This is a breed of crocodiles typical of the West African region, a Saharan species which lived for many centuries in Morocco before disappearing from its natural environment.
A group of 16 young crocodiles measuring between 42 centimeters and 1.06 meters long have been reintroduced to Morocco, 60 years after their disappearance. Of the total reptiles, fourteen hatched in 2022 and two in 2019.
They were raised in the Aquatis Aquarium in Lausanne and were transported to Geneva before traveling to Morocco to begin a gradual reintroduction into their natural environment.
According to the director of the Swiss aquarium, Michel Ansermet, quoted by the Swiss press agency Keystone-SDA, the young crocodiles traveled in individual compartments, adding that “the animals were equipped with electronic chips, in particular for customs clearance “.
They were taken to the southern Moroccan city at night to “avoid exposing the animals to extreme heat,” Ansermet said. The choice of the city of Agadir is explained because it is home to the Crocoparc, a crocodile zoological park, the only one in Morocco.
The Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA reported that the young desert crocodiles arrived in Agadir as part of a unique species protection project in Africa. The said species protection project is the very first of its kind on the African continent.
The crocodiles in question lived many years ago in Morocco before disappearing. The preservation of their species was only possible through the work of Zoos abroad, particularly in France and Switzerland.
This type of crocodile is genetically different from the larger Nile crocodile, which can weigh more than a ton and lives across much of Africa, including the Great Lakes region and the Nile Basin. This type of crocodile in particular does not exceed two or two and a half meters in length and lived in the swamps or “guelta” before its disappearance.
A report from WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), Living Planet Report of 2022, warned of the rapid and worrying disappearance of wildlife in the world, indicating that nearly 69% of the world’s wildlife has disappeared in less than half a century, including a total disappearance of certain species which did not benefit from a preservation and reintroduction program.
