Later gator: Chinese villagers ‘kill, cook and eat’ one of 92 escapee alligators from flood-hit farm
One of the 92 alligators that escaped from captivity after July’s heavy rains flooded a Chinese farm is believed to have been captured, cooked – and eaten – by local residents, mainland media report.
Police in the city of Wuhu, in Anhui province, have arrested six people on suspicion of illegally poaching and killing the Chinese alligator, a type that is protected by national wildlife protection laws, Dajiang Evening Post reported.
A short video – which went viral after being published online – showing the one-metre-long alligator being boiled in a cooking pot had alerted local police, the report said.
One of the six people reportedly involved in cooking the alligator had turned himself in to police, saying he found the escaped alligator in a grass area on July 5 and, after killing it, took it to a restaurant owned by his friends, the report said.
Local authorities sent out teams searching for the alligators, but assured the public that they are not “aggressive animals”.
The Chinese alligator, also known as the Yangtze alligator, is a native species that can grow to more than two metres in length and there are historical records of them attacking humans.
In recent decades, the number of alligators has declined sharply due to pollution and being overhunted, with very few reports of sightings in the wild.
China’s wildlife protection law allows the breeding of alligators for human consumption, but the both the breeder and restaurants that cook the alligator meat must first apply for permits from forestry authorities.
However, Chinese alligators, which have first-grade protection under national legislation, are not allowed to be bred for commercial use.
The report did not say why the Chinese alligators were being kept at the Wuhu farm.
