PARAGUAYAN PEASANT DRIES OUT CROCODILE SKINS IN ASUNCION

A Paraguayan peasant dries out the skins of dozens of crocodiles clubbed to death after a daily hunt in General Diaz, 550 kilometers northwest of Asuncion, August 7, 2001. Tens of thousands of alligators, known locally as yacares, were left stranded as their lakes began to dry up more than 10 years ago after Paraguay and Argentina diverted the Pilcomayo River for crop irrigation, without taking into account the environmental impact. The Paraguayan government has authorized the slaughter for meat and hides of thousands of yacares that are expected to die anyway due to the lack of water in what is considered Paraguay's greatest ecological disaster. FEATURE PARAGUAY-CROCODILES (PARAGUAY OUT) REUTERS/str