The Orinocos have arrived safely at the Zoo as of October 19 and continue to settle into their habitat nicely. Follow their progress with the regular updates on the zoo's facebook page. The lead photos is of the pair in their new habitat.

When Karel Fortyn, owner of Seaway Serpentarium, passed away this spring, he left behind plans to build a larger enclosure for his critically endangered Orinoco crocodiles.

Following a massive legal battle to determine ownership of the animals and the moving of heaven and earth to secure permits to transport the animals from Canada to the U.S., the Orinocos are heading to the Gladys Porter Zoo.

From the press release:

The Gladys Porter Zoo spoke for the crocodiles in early summer and the work began. An American alligator exhibit was targeted for renovation. Also, import permits needed to be applied for, and it was hoped that the permit would be granted and issued well before winter temperatures began to settle in.

The Division of Management Authority for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued import permits in late September, and the exhibit renovations are nearing completion. Next week, the U.S. Orinoco Crocodile Team will meet with the Canada Orinoco Crocodile Team, and the process of extracting the animals from their cramped quarters will begin. Once the crocodiles are secured and crated, the crew will drive straight through to Brownsville to keep transport time as short as possible. This is an extremely risky procedure for Blade and Suede, because when they struggle during capture, their muscles build up high levels of acid that does not process out quickly. That is why large crocodiles frequently die during – or shortly after – capture procedures.

Orinoco crocodiles are native to Venezuela and Colombia, South America. Due to extensive exploitation for their hides, they are the most endangered New World crocodilian, suffering a population decline of over 80 percent within the last three generations.

To read the full press release, click here.

Photo by Darren Green on photo.net