Crocodylus Park have a veiled chameleon, "the only one in Darwin". I couldn't find the actual newpaper article online but it is pictured on their Facebook page (dated April 5 2016, with a mention that the chamelon has been there for six months now): https://www.facebook.com/3888337111...266134212572/1058262297546289/?type=3&theater I also noted from one of their Instagram photos (I've been looking up random zoo things!) that their ocelot was still alive as of November last year.
A banteng has escaped and crocodiles thought to be stolen after people cut a hole in the perimeter fence in a suspected burglary: http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/only-...s/news-story/434ac94977ebf056f0874f1825a4370b
That news article is a "premium, subscribers only" article - can you copy and past it here please Jabiru?
Hmmm that's strange since I can freely access it even though i'm not a subscriber? Anyway, here is the article: "LIGHT-FINGERED thieves may be even more light-fingered today after they broke into Crocodylus Park and are thought to have stolen saltwater crocodiles from their pen in the dead of the night. Crocodylus Park crocodile production manager Olivia Plume said staff were doing their daily perimeter checks when they found a section of their fence, backing onto Holmes Jungle, had been cut. The hole was big enough for people to climb through and big enough for a bull to escape. “It was a dangerous situation for not only our staff that had to retrieve the (bull) but also for the general public if anyone had been running through Holmes Jungle this morning or walking through with their dog. They could have come across a large bull who could have potentially ... killed someone,” she said. The large bull is an Indonesian breed called a Banteng. “They’re not native to Australia so that was another concern, it was an exotic animal loose in one of our reserves,” she said. Ms Plume said the park was doing an inventory to ascertain whether any crocs were stolen. “It looks as though they have entered, or at least tried to enter one of the (croc) pens,” she said. There were hundreds of crocodiles in the pen, ranging from 1.2 to 1.5 metres. “They could have potentially lassoed a few of the animals and got them out if they knew what they were doing,” she said. “It’s an incredibly dangerous situation to put themselves in, to climb into a pen with 300 hundred animals ... it was extremely irresponsible.” Ms Plume said she suspected the thieves would try to sell the animals as pets so urged anyone who was approached to buy them to contact police. The crocs could fetch upwards of $1000 if sold. Ms Plume said she hoped the thieves weren’t going to harm them or try and harvest their skin."
59 young crocodiles stolen .... : Baby crocs worth $20,000 are stolen from Crocodylus Park in Northern Territory | Daily Mail Online
Shocking, but I am afraid not unexpected. What concerns me most - apart from the despicable theft in the first place with years of arduous work going down the drain - is the quotes from investigative inspectorate PD: QUOTE "Police investigated however no arrests or charges have been made at this time. The complainant has been advised of the outcome. Police do not believe the alleged theft was part of a bigger operation." UNQOUTE If, as seems from the newspaper report this has been a recurring event, it is more than likely that A) inside job / someone local with access and B) illegal trade in crocodiles exists and is very profitable.
Aren't these crocs just destined to become handbags? In which case I'm not sure if i'd describe the theft as "despicable". Perhaps entirely the opposite! I'd be checking back over resume's to see if any of the newly appointed crocodile keepers where formerly employed at at a particular Queensland Zoo....
Point A: Personally, I have no issue with crocodile leather trade when animal croc welfare is taken care of. As far as ownership is concerned theft and poaching go hand in hand. I am not one to favour to take up the banner of the animal lib brigade (domestic or exotic or native wild irrespective). Point B: Would you care to elaborate as I do not know what you are hinting at as unfamiliar with that local croc and zoo lore? Thanks in advance. Am I correct to assume Crocodylus Park maintains both salt water crocodile C. porosus and Australian freshwater C. johnsoni? BTW: What as a herp man would be absolutely against is interbreeding / hybridising crocs to get better quality leather as happens with salties interbreeding with C. siamensis and others.
I'm just saying that since the animals where destined for handbags, surely whatever their fate was, it likely wasn't much worse. Australia Zoo are not fans of Crocodylus Park for the above mentioned reasons and are very outspoken against the crocodile leather industry in Australia. Which is potentially a little awkward since another ZAA zoo participates in that. So I jokingly suggested involvement.
Hopefully they build a new enclosure before they get anymore tigers. The tiger enclosure, whilst beautifully and lushly planted, was very small for a big cat and difficult to view the animal. It would suit a small cat or a primate.
A few new exotic mammals for the facility. Crocodylus Park now have Capybara and Red-handed Tamarins. There are now four known Australian collections with Red-handed Tamarins along with Darling Downs, Tasmania and Hunter Valley - confirmed via message.
