Exterminated for being a menace
Unlike other species of alligators, the Chinese Alligator has remained relatively safe from hunters seeking their skin. Although their hide was once used to make drums, it is not a popular material for making leather products. So why then are these alligators, which never attack humans, disappearing? One reason is that people consider them to be a "menace". They have been exterminated in blame for attacking livestock birds and for ruining rice paddies.

Loss of habitat!
Another reason for their decline is said to be environmental pollution caused by agricultural chemicals. This has reduced what used to be a spacious habitat for the Chinese Alligator. Fortunately, artificial breeding efforts that started in the 1960s have been successful, producing more alligators than there are in the wild. Unfortunately, these offspring cannot be released back into the wild unless there is a safe habitat for them to return to.