Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reclassification of Saltwater Crocodile Population in Australia From Endangered to Threatened With Special Rule for the Saltwater and Nile Crocodiles

The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) in Australia is reclassified from endangered to threatened under the provisions of the U.S. Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973. The saltwater crocodile had been listed as endangered throughout its range since 1979, except the Papua New Guinea population, which has never been listed. A special rule, included herein, allows for the importation into the United States of certain specimens of saltwater crocodiles from Australia and Nile crocodiles from those countries in which this latter species is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Such imports must be consistent with the requirements of CITES and certain other provisions.