Harvesting the caiman is not an easy job. Workers remove eggs from nests along the sandy riverbanks, often while being stared at by the mother caiman poking her snout from the waters. Incubated eggs hatch about 70 days later, and baby caimans are raised in pens for a year, after which time they are released into the wild or within swamp ranches along the Apure. According to officials, the process improves the survival rate of the caiman. Most baby caimans are eaten by hawks, piranha, anacondas, foxes and other crocodiles.
Man is the caimans' only predator once it reaches adult size.
Indigenous tribes have long eaten the eggs for protein when food is scarce, and the law states that they cannot be charged with poaching. We can't stop the Indians from eating the eggs. The problem is when they gather sacks full of eggs and sell or trade them to locals. Hunters hired by ranch owners can use harpoons to legally kill caimans when they reach 3 feet in length. While they are dwarfed by the man-eating Orinoco Crocodile, the caimans still pose a threat.