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American Crocodiles Make a Comeback
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9718547
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9718547
American crocodiles hatch from their shells near the Florida Power and Light's Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant in Homestead, Fla., south of Miami. The land near the power plant has turned into an important habitat for the American crocodile. The crocodiles live and breed in the extensive canal system that was built to cool the water left over from generating nuclear power.
All Things Considered, April 21, 2007 · There's good news for fans of big reptiles: The American crocodile, found in South Florida, has staged a comeback. It has done so well that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to take it off the endangered species list. The biggest surprise is that the crocodile owes much of its comeback to a nuclear power plant.
Joe Wasilewski is a field biologist who has chronicled this unusual story. He's a wildlife biologist who travels the world helping governments and conservation groups manage endangered reptiles. He'll be in the Bahamas counting iguanas one month and in Guyana counting black Caimans the next.