Alligator alarm in Vechta: Video was a fake-the all-clear!

Alligator alarm in Vechta: Video was a fake-the all-clear!

in Vechta, a municipality southwest of Bremen, the residents and animal lovers can breathe a sigh of relief - the supposed viewing of an alligator turned out to be fake. On Monday, after intensive investigations, there was an all -clear: a video that was supposed to show an alligator in a rainwater retention basin did not come from the location specified. As puls24 , the young man who had submitted the video had wrongly claimed to have filmed the animal.

As part of these events, a suitable catalog of measures was set up. As a precaution, the area in which the supposed alligator was sighted was blocked to protect the alleged reptile - although it turned out to be fictional. After the revelation of his deception, the man is now facing the legal consequences of his actions. This emerges from the further reactions of the city of Vechta, which is still actively involved in the investigation. IT experts had analyzed the video material on Monday and found that the surrounding details, which were made visible, did not match the specified location.

a video that does not hold what it promised

In a further turn of the events, the young man confessed when he was confronted with the results of the analysis that he had not filmed the video himself. The city of Vechta confirmed this in its examination of the legal consequences for him. Experts assume that such incidents can affect trust in public security measures, which is why authorities react allergic to such deception.

Alligators can not only be found in northern Germany; Other types of reptiles are also constantly in focus. A look at the illegal trade in reptiles shows that demand is often high. According to a report by Deutschlandfunk , Germany is an important country in the trade in living reptiles and their transport. Between 2004 and 2014, six million reptiles were introduced in Germany, including numerous endangered species.

The dark side of trade

As the conservationist Marc Auliya from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research explains in Leipzig, many species, such as the beak breast turtle from Madagascar, have to struggle with extinction. Of the many illegal sales, only a few animals see the light of day. Auliya points out that only 10% of the over 10,000 scientifically described reptile species are listed in the Washington species protection agreement, which means that the majority remains unprotected.

Especially in a country like Germany, in which the legal provisions can still be classified as too lax, the illegal trade of reptiles is very popular. The necessary measures and legal changes are therefore on the agenda in order to guarantee a better chance of survival and contain their inappropriate trade.

whether it is a fake alligator in Vechta or the serious threat of sensitive reptile species through illegal business-the topics remain explosive and require urgent action at different levels.