Nearly a hundred crocodiles in Baima Park died one after another from ailments caused by freezing temperatures this winter in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.
According to staff in the Crocodile Center at Baima Park, they brought more than 100 crocodiles from Thailand in April last year.
Because of a sharp drop in the temperature at the end of October, many of these crocodiles contracted a serious lung infection.
By November, 92 of the crocodiles had died, including four that came from another Nanjing park -Bailuzhou Park - to spend the winter at Baima.
Baima Park is estimated to have lost more than 1.4 million yuan (US$170,000) as a result of the deaths.
Although the park took emergency measures to protect the remaining 17 crocodiles, four of them still suffered from the cold.
Happily, under the careful treatment of crocodile experts rushing in from other cities, including Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province, Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province and Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the four "patients" are now out of danger and gradually recovering their health.
Experts said that Thai crocodiles must live in an environment with a temperature above 17 C.
Inadequate preparations for keeping the reptiles warm and the lack of crocodile specialists were the biggest factors in the tragedy, the experts said.
"If Baima Park had made full and timely preparations for the drop in temperature, they would not have lost so many crocodiles," Bai Yali, an employee of Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, told China Daily yesterday. "We do feel great pity for them."
Hongshan is the biggest zoo in Nanjing, and in contrast to Baima, made thorough preparations for the onset of winter.
According to Bai, the zoo is home to more than 1,000 animals which cannot stand the cold, including tropical birds like parrots, amphibious reptiles like crocodiles and snakes, and some herbivores like giraffes and kangaroos.
"All of these animals are kept indoors to live in a temperature above 10 C, including four Yangtze crocodiles which are more cold-resistant than Thai crocodiles," Bai said.
The zoo also uses circulating hot water pipes to keep the water warm for some special animals.
"For example, hippopotamuses must live in a temperature above 17 C, the same with Thai crocodiles. We use this method to provide them with a comfortable living environment," Bai said.
(China Daily January 29, 2003)
