It now seems secure from extinction and was pronounced fully recovered in 1987. Alligators remain on the threatened list because they are similar in appearance to the listed American crocodile and other crocodilians subject to import. Arkansas alligators are still fully protected as a threatened species, but populations are growing thanks to increased protection and a restoration program conducted by the Game and Fish Commission. From 1972 to 1984, over 2800 juvenile Louisiana alligators were relocated in southern Arkansas. Successful reproduction has occurred in several counties, and today's population stable.
Alligators play a vital role in wetland wildlife communities.
Their deep water holes are important for other wildlife, especially during drought. They help control populations of many nuisance animals and are also valuable for biomedical studies. They possess a secondary palate like humans, and embryos are used in experimental microsurgery that may one day be applied to human embryos with palate developmental problems. Alligators are also one of the best examples of man's ability to revive threatened wildlife populations. In Arkansas, we have a lot less alligator habitat that we did in the 1950s.