Thousands of Alligators Slaughtered Daily For Food In Brazil

Thousands of alligators are being slaughtered daily at farms in Brazil to satisfy the demand for alligator meat.

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Only recently, another alligator slaughterhouse has opened up in the country in Mato Grosso do Sul, which is the centre of alligator farming in the country.

The new farm has the capacity to slaughter up to 600 animals a day, making it the third largest in the area.

The new farm produces 65,000 kilogrammes (143,300 pounds)of alligator meat a month which sells at a rate of between BRL 50 (GBP 8) to BRL 96 (GBP 17) per kilogramme.

Promotional material for the trade reveals that alligator hatchlings are kept for 18-24 months in tanks and greenhouses until they weigh 12 kilogrammes (26 pounds) and are around 1.20 metres (4 feet) in length. They are fed twice a week with discarded chickens and specially prepared premix feed.

Joao Scalzo, who has a restaurant selling a bestselling alligator sausage in Curitiba, Brazil said: “I travelled to Mato Grosso in 2018 and saw in a restaurant that alligator meat is very popular there, and I thought it could make a good sausage “

It is made from the loin and tail of the alligator and mixed with salt and pepper and some light condiments so as not to mask the flavour of the meat.

He added: “It is a meat that resembles a chicken leg, but with the appearance of the breast, lighter, white and tender. However, as the meat is a little dry, we had to increase the fat content, which reaches 25 per cent to bind it.”

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He said the extra fat that he added was pork, and the final sausage was served with cabbage and chimichurri.

When they are slaughtered, the killing is carried out on ice in order to slow their metabolism and reduce their suffering. The meat that is produced has about 50 calories in a portion of 100 grammes (3.5 oz).

Until now, the biggest drawback to further expanding the business has been a lack of acceptance in the population; however, this is reportedly changing, and in many places, alligator meat is sold alongside beef, pork and chicken.

However, critics have warned that the fact that the eggs are often harvested in the world and that creating a market will encourage people to hunt wild alligators mean that the trade should not be encouraged.