HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Biologists are monitoring hundreds of American crocodiles that inhabit the wetlands surrounding a nuclear power plant in the southeastern corner of the Florida peninsula.
The reptile has seen an increase in population over the last few decades at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant in Homestead run by Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest power company. Wildlife officials say about 168 miles of manmade cooling canals offer ideal nesting conditions for the once-endangered species.
Biologists with the crocodile monitoring program record the reptile’s population growth and survival rates at the plant through guidelines set by state and federal wildlife officials. The results are reported annually. The animals are weighed, tagged with microchips then slipped back into the water.
Source: Suzette Laboy, Associated Press
