January 3, 2020 6:30 am

See You Later, Alligator?

California’s ban on exotic-animal hides runs counter to the approach that has allowed the American gator and other previously endangered species to thrive.

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An employee holds a Hermes diamond and Himalayan Nilo Crocodile Birkin handbag at the Heritage Auctions offices in Beverly Hills, Calif., in 2014. The handbag has 242 diamonds with a total of 9.84 carats.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

For the past few months, online retailers of products such as luxury handbags and wristwatches have been publishing a notice on their websites: Beginning on January 1, 2020, some of their products cannot be shipped to California.

The reason? Alligator and crocodile hide.