Elderly Crocodile Pair Relocated from Lyon Zoo to Moroccan Conservation Program

It is an old couple of West African crocodiles. The male is 49 years old, and the female is 32 years old. They had been entrusted to the zoo in the Tête d’Or park in 1975 by the Lyon Veterinary School. After being born in Chad, they only knew Lyon, which had promised that they would join the species conservation program set up in Morocco, reports actu.fr.

Thus, at the beginning of September, they joined the Crocoparc in Agadir for a much more lively life in the midst of more than 300 crocodiles, lizards, giant turtles and other reptiles. In a press release, the city of Lyon indicated that in Morocco, they will be able to reproduce. "This will allow the Crocoparc to reintroduce the young into the natural environment in Morocco where crocodiles have disappeared since the 1950s, due to desertification and human pressure on natural habitats."

In Agadir, they will have space, far from the small enclosure that left them little freedom. Unlike the Tête d’Or park, the Crocoparc in Agadir is designed to ensure the well-being and comfort that these animals need. This is the first reintroduction carried out by the Lyon zoo. This was made possible thanks to a partnership between the Moroccan authorities, the Fossa agency and the Principality of Monaco. Soon it will be the turn of the giraffes to go to an environment more suited to them.