A total of 12 baby Chinese alligators have been successfully hatched this week at the breeding center of the Anhui Chinese Alligator National Nature Reserve in Xuancheng, Anhui province, marking the beginning of the hatching phase for alligator eggs this year.

The Chinese alligator, also known as the Yangtze alligator, is an oviparous animal, entering its mating season in May and beginning to lay eggs in late June, according to the reserve.

The hatching of alligator eggs in the wild can be affected by various factors such as weather and other wildlife. To ensure the successful hatching of Chinese alligator eggs, the reserve finds and protects the eggs in the wild during the incubation, and collects eggs in the breeding center and carries out artificial incubation.

The Chinese alligator, a unique and rare species found in China, is classified as a first-class key protected wild animal by the State and is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In order to expand the wild population of Chinese alligators and completely eliminate their critically endangered status, the Chinese Alligator Conservation and Reintroduction to the Wild Project was approved by the then State Forestry Administration in November 2001, which was one of the 15 key rescue projects for wild animals and plants in China.

From 2003 to 2023, the reserve conducted 19 releases into the wild, with a total of over 1,600 artificially bred Chinese alligators reintroduced. This has played an important role in expanding the wild population of Chinese alligators in China and improving the age and gender structure of the population.

Last year, a field survey found that 698 Chinese alligators, and 26 nests with 602 eggs were discovered, resulting in the hatching of 372 baby alligators. As of May, the wild population of Chinese alligators was around 1,200, and in August the number was estimated to be 1,400.

Their distribution range has been expanding, and their age and gender structure has become more reasonable. The majority of the released alligators have adapted to the wild environment and achieved natural reproduction, according to the reserve. The hatching process for Chinese alligator eggs takes nearly two months, with the eggs being incubated since the end of June.

During the incubation period, personnel at the reserve are on duty 24 hours a day, regularly checking the hatching progress, inspecting temperature and humidity devices, and cleaning the eggs to ensure successful hatching, with meticulous management measures in place.

In the following months, the reserve will focus on the feeding and care of the newborn alligators, monitoring the detachment of the umbilical cord and absorption of the yolk sac, and guiding them to start feeding at an appropriate time to improve their survival rate and enhance the quality of Chinese alligator genetic resources.