Photo taken on May 13, 2021 shows a Chinese alligator at a release point of the National Chinese Alligator Nature Reservein Jingxian county, East China's Anhui province.
The National Chinese Alligator Nature Reserve in Anhui released 51 artificially-bred Chinese alligators, also known as Yangtze alligators, into the wild, on Thursday.
The reserve plans to set free a record high of 530 alligators this year. The rest 479 ones will be released at nearly 30 release points before June.
As a rare species under national first-class protection, Chinese alligators are endemic to East China, with the majority living in Anhui province.
More than 15,000 Chinese alligators have been bred in the reserve, mostly based in the suburbs of Xuancheng. The number of wild Chinese alligators, however, is around 200.
The nature reserve began reintroducing the artificially-bred species into the wild in 2003. Between 2003 and 2020, 508 ones were released.
Photo taken on May 13, 2021 shows a Chinese alligator at a release point of the National Chinese Alligator Nature Reservein Jingxian county, East China's Anhui province.
Staff members release a Chinese alligator at a release point of the National Chinese Alligator Nature Reserve in Jingxian county, East China's Anhui province, May 13, 2021.(Photo/Anhui Daily)
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