Latest news with #crocodiles
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Crocodiles that spent 25 years in concrete cage behind a cafe rehomed in sanctuary
One of the crocodiles inside the litter-filled concrete cage it spent 25 years in. Photo: supplied After a quarter of a century living in a caged concrete pit, two salt water crocodiles in the Solomon Islands have been moved to a sanctuary thanks to a New Zealand animal charity. The crocodiles had been surviving on rain water in the litter-filled enclosure at the back of a cafe in Honiara. New Zealand based animal rescue, HUHA, became aware of the animals when it was in the capital for a dog desexing campaign. After months of wrangling, raising money and working with Australia Zoo the crocodiles have been rehomed at a local private sanctuary. HUHA founder and chief executive Carolyn Press-McKenzie told Checkpoint when she heard about the crocodiles from locals, it was the last thing she expected. "When you hear that something's off, you need to go have a look. So we went and had a look after surgery one day and they were there... it was awful. I can't even describe. "They were just in these little prisons of rubbish and concrete." Press-McKenzie said she decided they had to do something about the crocodiles, and hunted down their owner. "I think we got the guy at the right point because we know other people, including Australia Zoo, had been there over the years, seen them but not been in a position to get them and move them." The owner agreed to sell the animals to HUHA, who then owned them for about 10 months. "Over that 10 months, we didn't sleep much and we fundraised" One of the crocodiles being relocated. Photo: supplied While the fundraising didn't gather the full amount of funds they needed to re-home the crocodiles, Press-McKenzie said there were some "amazing" donors, with one woman donating $10,000. However, she believed the lack of support was due to New Zealander's disconnect with the scaly creatures. "Our thing is every animal matters and we don't discriminate. So basically for us, it didn't really matter that we weren't into crocodiles. Those crocodiles were in trouble and no one else was stepping up." HUHA then contacted Australia Zoo, and asked them to step in to help relocate the crocodiles. "I didn't see how we could actually relocate them safely unless we were with people who knew what they were doing." The zoo jumped into the mission, and were "blown away" by what HUHA had managed to achieve. Carolyn Press-McKenzie handing ownership of the crocodiles over to the new owner. Photo: supplied After managing to construct a private sanctuary, the crocodiles are now being relocated, their new owner well aware of the responsibility. "We signed the crocs to him two days ago and [the contract] says he can't breed them, eat them, use them as an exhibit, or on sell them and that if he has any problems, he has to talk to us." The new enclosure has a metre-and-a-half deep the pool for the animals to swim in, something they have never done before. "They can actually go right in and swim and rest at the bottom. So they've never walked and they've never swam before. So this is all new for them." After being kept in separate pits for 25 years, the two crocodiles have now had the opportunity to meet and settle into their new home together. "It's just it's really nice, they're safe." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Crocodiles that spent 25 years in concrete cage
After a quarter of a century living in a caged concrete pit two salt water crocodiles in the Solomon Islands have move to a sanctuary thanks to a New Zealand animal charity. The crocs had been surviving on rain water in the litter filled enclosure at the back of a cafe in Honiara. New Zealand based animal rescue, HUHA became aware of the animals when it was in the capital for a dog desexing campaign. It raised money and worked with Australia Zoo, and after months of wrangling the crocs have been rehomed at a local private sancutary. HUHA founder and chief executive Carolyn Press-McKenzie spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
Aussie tourists warned after swimmers spotted in 'crazy' act at popular spot
Concerning videos have emerged online of visitors splashing around in a recently flooded tourist attraction, and authorities are warning tourists that the water is not an invitation to whip out their bathers. For years, people have been flocking to the Mangrove Boardwalk near Darwin to enjoy the lush scenery and hopefully catch sight of a native animal or two. However, persistent rainfall has left the area flooded, with water now "the same level as the railing", a recent visitor told Yahoo News. This has enticed some to pull out their snorkel gear and even blow up inflatables to swim in the area, despite it being a well-known habitat for crocodiles and the world's most venomous jellyfish. Online, locals called the swimmers out for being "crazy" and said Darwin "is pretty much crocodile city". "Please just keep in mind that you are putting yourself in a lot of danger by being anywhere near potentially croc infested water, let alone swimming on a flooded bridge," one said. Yahoo News reached out to visitors who had recently taken the plunge, however both declined to comment. Northern Territory's Department of Tourism and Hospitality (DTH) told Yahoo News all visitors are urged to be croc-wise, with only designated swimming areas safe for swimmers in the state. "Any body of water in the Top End may contain large and potentially dangerous crocodiles. How you behave around crocodile habitats is your responsibility," a DTH spokesperson told Yahoo, confirming that approximately 300 crocodiles are removed from the area every year for public safety. "People are reminded to only swim in designated swimming areas," the spokesperson said. The City of Darwin council echoed a similar sentiment, urging people to stay out of the water. 😲 Warning as massive Aussie predator spotted near popular children's playground 🧐 Tracks on Aussie beach lead to 4WD couple's 'spooky' discovery 🙂↔️ Alarming scene at popular Aussie tourist spot sparks warning Box jellyfish, which can kill swimmers within minutes if badly stung, are known to reside in the area too. There have been 14 confirmed box jellyfish deaths since 1975, according to the state government, and are prevalent between October and June. Snakes were also recently spotted in the water near the Mangroves Boardwalk. While the boardwalk is currently closed due to maintenance, it isn't fenced off by authorities. Visitors are warned to simply steer clear. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
News.com.au
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Darwin man dives into crocodile infested waters in Darwin
An adrenaline junkie has been slammed online after diving headfirst, alone, into crocodile-infested waters at night. Darwin local JC headed to Mangrove Boardwalk in central Darwin for an evening dip, with footage showing the young daredevil, dressed in a dark-coloured wetsuit and a snorkel, jumping over the railing and into the surrounding water. @b.e.h.a.v.i.n come join me for a swim at Darwins hidden little gem, the mangrove boardwalk ♬ original sound - BEHAVIN Captioning his post, 'Come join me for a swim at Darwin's hidden gem, the Mangrove Boardwalk', social media users were quick to point out the obvious – JC was entering the home of saltwater crocodiles. The video shows him swimming around the water, barely visible in the darkness except for a flashlight worn on his head, before sitting on a tree branch among the mangroves nearby. Even local crocodile enthusiast Damian 'Wildman' Duffy was hesitant about the daring dive. 'Look, as silly as this is, the chance of a Saltie (saltwater crocodile) being here is pretty low … but it's definitely not zero,' he wrote. 'It only takes one. 'In short, f**k that entirely.' Another added, 'Play stupid games and win stupid prizes.' 'What is he actually trying to achieve here? There's pools at the caravan park,' a third joked. Many voiced concern for a potential run-in with the giant reptiles, and if anything were to happen not to kill the crocodile involved. 'I lived in Darwin for a few years, and these people are brave cos (sic) from what I saw up there, even the puddles have crocs in them,' one said. 'If he dies it's on him not the croc,' another added. Crocodile expert and zoologist Grahame Webb, from Crocodylus Park, told it comes down to a 'misadventure problem'. 'Crocs are really serious predators on people – you can't sugar-coat it, they're just pretty dangerous animals,' Mr Webb said. 'It's not that people are silly, it's just they think they'll get away with something, and they do get away – obviously he got away – but it's the sort of thing you wouldn't encourage people to keep doing. 'I wouldn't anyway. It's not very clever, people are always doing things like this death defying act.' Mr Webb said the risk of being taken by a crocodile in Darwin Harbour was low, due to successful culling efforts, but the risk still wasn't worth it. 'You don't know, (if) a croc is 100, 200 metres, 300 metres away at night, you wouldn't have a clue,' he added. 'You've got to seek advice before going swimming anywhere. 'There's some wonderful swimming pools and that's safe, and there's some wonderful places that the rangers make sure there's no crocs in … places like this where people can swim in wild places.'
ABC News
27-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Crocodile 'housing crisis' inspires sanctuary in Far North Queensland
A potential "housing crisis" for crocodiles has inspired one Far North Queensland grazier to build a croc sanctuary on the family farm. Removals of problem crocs from the wild have been on an upward trend since 2020 and hit a record high last year, according to data from the Queensland government. Crocodiles can live for more than 120 years in captivity and cannot legally be killed for commercial purposes once taken into captivity. So, if these trends continue, where will they all live? Cattle farmer Jesse Crampton has been busily digging out containment ponds and erecting sturdy fences on his property in Far North Queensland for the past year. The Babinda-based grazier has also worked with crocodiles for more than a decade in zoological, farming and management roles. He admits building a small croc sanctuary directly next to a herd of big, juicy bovines is rather unconventional. The "icons" he refers to are crocs longer than 4 metres which, under conservation laws, can only be placed with a registered crocodile farm or zoo that agrees to use them for education about crocodile conservation. "They can't technically be used for commercial use, so they can't be destroyed for farming aspects," he said. "So a lot of the croc farms, once they've got their stock, they've got nowhere to put these large animals." Mr Crampton already has one such tenant on the books — a "big icon fella" trapped at Lakefield on Cape York after continually wandering into people's campsites. "This animal could be 80 years old and survived that commercial shooting era. "He'd have a few stories to tell — so he was quite a significant animal for us to get for our first crocodile." In 2024, a record 77 crocodiles were removed from Queensland waters — up from 48 the previous year. Already, 37 crocs have been taken from the wild so far this year. "Our priority is to rehome all crocodiles that have been removed from the wild," a Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) spokesperson said. "Every crocodile we have offered to a suitable farm or zoo has been rehomed. "Only when environmental issues prevent us from setting traps, or animal welfare issues prevent us from being able to rehome them in suitable facilities, crocodiles are humanely euthanised." The department has not yet revealed to the ABC how many have been euthanised in the past five years. However, not everyone is convinced that the rehoming practice can continue forever. John Lever has been operating Koorana Crocodile Farm near Rockhampton since 1981 and has billeted more wild-caught crocs than he cares to count. "They're going to run out of space," he warned. "Farmers can't just take them all on. "I caught a big one up near Airlie Beach in Kelsey Creek — that was 4.8m long when I caught it in 1986, and it lived until 2020. "You get a big croc like that and think it might only live for a few years — and then it lives for another 34 years." Mr Lever intended to keep trying to find space for new crocs, but said taking on such long-term tenants was not sustainable. He predicted a day may come when "hard decisions" must be made between rehoming and euthanasing animals that interact with humans. "You can pen them in smaller pens and give them all their biological needs — feed them once a week, and give them enough room to turn around," he said. "But they're an isolated animal then. "They're just living on their own for no real purpose. "There are plenty of them out there, so it's not an issue of trying to save the last few crocs to get breeding colonies going. "I just don't think you can look after every crocodile." The Queensland Crocodile Management Plan says Queensland's estuarine crocodile population is estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000 "non-hatchlings" — meaning greater than 60cm in length. Further north at Bloomsbury, Bredl's Wildlife Farm croc trainer Zebulon Bredl said he had received about a dozen calls in the past month with offers of new wild-caught crocs. "We're turning down a fair few," he said. "If you take two, you'd be lucky to get one or two females. "And as soon as those males hit 2.5m, you're looking at individual ponds because they start fighting." Mr Bredl said operators were not informed of a crocodile's sex before deciding whether to accept it onto their property. "That's an added risk — and if they did that, everyone would just hold off and only accept the females for breeding." Mr Bredl argued Queensland should follow the Northern Territory's model of wild egg harvesting to slow population growth. "We're nearly full — we've got 18 big fellas over 2.5m here at the moment," he said. "We can start putting in more infrastructure, but we don't need it and it's all an expense." Regulatory barriers to starting a new croc farm or sanctuary would have most people running for the hills — but not Mr Crampton. "It certainly deflated the bubble a few times," he said. The sanctuary will not produce meat or skins, but Mr Crampton has the required permits to pair crocs so fertilised eggs can be sold to commercial breeders. The facility's chief source of income will come through group training. "I've been training particularly Indigenous ranger groups to be able to manage crocs, how to handle and how to work safely alongside crocodiles," he said. Mr Crampton did not believe his modest operation would solve any future crocodile real estate crunch outright. But he was keen to play his part. "I've still got a long way to go with the croc compound, but I've got four enclosures up and running, and three crocs at the moment," he said. "It's not going to be a large-scale operation, but over time I might be able to make a dozen enclosures and house some icons." And as for the neighbours? They can rest easy in the knowledge that the barriers are very sturdy. "I mean in our cane drains and creeks and rivers and all that, there's crocs — so [the cattle] are pretty croc savvy," Mr Crampton said. "But of course I've got the crocs on the other side of the fence, so I don't have too much of an issue."
