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“Thirty years ago the yacare caiman appeared to be heading for oblivion”, writes Roff Smith in the July issue of National Geographic magazine, “ruthlessly hunted to supply a lucrative market for crocodilian leather. Their numbers dropped alarmingly”. But “a Brazilian government crackdown on poaching and a 1992 global ban on the trade of wild crocodilian skins eased the pressure on the beleaguered yacare population. The crocs themselves did the rest. After a string of intense rainy seasons – ideal for breeding – caiman numbers rebounded dramatically. As many as ten million yacare caimans are estimated to live in the wetlands today”. (Photo by Luciano Candisani/National Geographic)
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