Experts believe that the vulnerable crocodile species is doing well in Central America’s most polluted river.
Every day, trash and wastewater from San Jose households and factories flood into the Tarcoles RiverIt spits out tires and plastic in the mangroves.
Nevertheless, some 2,000 American Crocodiles have adapted to life in the toxic river that bears witness to the country’s decades-long battle with waste management.
Ivan Sandoval, a biologist from the Ivan Sandoval Foundation, stated, “It’s a super-contaminated region, but it has not affected the Crocodile population.” National University of Costa Rica.
”The Tarcoles River is the most polluted river in Costa Rica, and one of the most contaminated in Central America. The expert crocodile said that heavy metals, nitrites and nitrates can all be found in the river.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are only about 5,000 of the crocodile species – found in 18 countries – left in the world after decades of hunting and habitat loss.
The organization lists the Crocodylus acutusAs “vulnerable“, but it claims that its numbers have increased over the past few years. Costa Rica’s population is “strong and healthy”.
Indeed, the large reptiles – basking in the sun and occasionally feeding on fish that come up the channel from the sea – appear unfazed by some 150 types of bacteria that Sandoval says have been detected in the river.
He describes the carnivores as “living fossils” with the capacity to survive very tough conditions.
”They haven’t had to change anything in millions of years, they are perfectly designed.”
Laws not applied
Sandoval claimed that Costa Rica’s crocodile population has been recovering since 1980. He also warned about the dangers of tourism.
The river’s crocodiles are a major draw for foreign visitors, who take boat tours to see the creatures up close.
Some feed the animals, which is prohibited, and Sandoval worries about them getting too used to being close to people.
Juan Carlos Buitrago, 48, who captains one of the tour boats, says he and other locals regularly pull hundreds of tires and plastic waste from the water.
He delights in the fauna of the river, with macaws flying over ahead at sunset, but wishes his countrymen would stop polluting his “office”.
”We cannot hide the pollution,” he tells AFP.
Costa Rica has impressive environmental credentials, with a third of its territory marked for protection, 98 percent renewable energy, and 53 percent forest cover, according to the UN Environment Agency.
However, the law is not always strictly applied, as in the case of the Tarcoles River.
Lawyer and environmentalist Walter Brenes, 34, said that all of Costa Rica’s rules and regulations “do not solve the problem”.
He said the country needs “real public policy that is completely aimed at protecting wildlife”.
