Cuban Crocodile at the Holy Father's General Audience

(January 12, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI received a rare, scaly visitor Wednesday during his weekly general audience. Officials from Rome's Bioparco zoo, presented the 84-year-old pontiff with the young crocodile at the end of Wednesday's audience. Zoo official Yitzhak Yadid held the iguana-sized reptile in his hands as Pope Benedict looked on. This rare live specimen of the Cuban crocodile, to represent the 1,200 animals which live in the park which is currently celebrating its centenary and as a sign of the environmental protection and education work the structure carries out. The Cuban crocodile, which is about two feet long is classified as an endangered species, has seen its numbers fall by 80 per cent in recent years, and it currently survives only in a small area of the island. The young specimen shown to the Pope is being kept in the zoological park for a period of recovery. In March, coinciding with Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic trip to Cuba, it will be returned to its country of origin. In a statement Paolo Giuntarelli, president of the "Bioparco Foundation" said that, "the meeting with the Pope is the most prestigious seal of approval for our first hundred years, and the best possible beginning to a new century of history". Pope Benedict XVI has always shown his love for environment and has emphasized the need to respect creation. On Monday, in his speech to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, he said: "I would stress that education, correctly understood, cannot fail to foster respect for creation. Environmental protection and the connection between fighting poverty and fighting climate change are important areas for the promotion of integral human development."