For the past two and a half years, three young Orinoco crocodiles have called Newport Aquarium home but will now prepare to return to South America to help repopulate their species in the wild.
This program is part of an ongoing partnership between Newport Aquarium and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that works to save the Orinoco crocodile, one of the rarest and most endangered reptiles in the world.
The crocodiles arrived in Newport Aquarium’s Gator Alley as babies in May 2022, weighing less than one pound each. Since then, visitors have been able to watch the reptiles grow and mature as the aquarium followed standards on diet and habitat, all intended to prepare them for their ultimate release into the wild once they grew large enough.
Today, the 3-year-old crocodiles weigh over 11 pounds and are a little over three feet long. That marks the best transition point for their return to the wild to help add to their dangerously low population.
Once they leave Newport Aquarium, the crocodiles will travel to the banks of the great Orinoco River, which flows through Venezuela and Colombia. Millions of Orinoco crocodiles used to call this region home but have been hunted to near extinction because of demand for their hides, which are used for shoes and handbags. It’s now estimated that as few as 1,500 are left in the wild.
“As a biologist, it’s been so rewarding to watch these little ones grow day by day and to be a part of their journey,” Assistant Curator Laurel Johnson said in a press release from the aquarium. “It’s bittersweet to see them leave, but it’s an honor to have reached this milestone in this global conservation effort to save these critically endangered animals.”
Visitors will have one more week to see these crocodiles one last time and wish them a bon voyage. They’ll also get to explore Gator Alley, where they can learn how to help these rare and endangered animals. General admission tickets are also available at a discount when purchased online in advance here.