NT croc shakes up NZ flight

April 24th, 2009
A TERRITORY crocodile being flown to New Zealand had to be sedated after he thrashed so hard he "shuddered and shook" the plane he was travelling on.

Scar, the 4.4m saltie from Darwin's Crocodylus Park, gave the crew on board the Hercules flight across the Tasman a scare this week.

Scar and fellow saltie Goldie, from Cairns, were being transported to their new home at Auckland's Butterfly Creek Zoo.

But they were none to pleased about heading to the cooler Kiwi climate.

Zoo general manager John Dowsett said the duo broke their head restraints mid-flight, thrashing so hard that the Hercules plane transporting them shuddered and shook.

"It got pretty exciting on board, that's for sure," he said.

"The plane was shaking and the pilot turned to me and said, 'That's your crocs having a bit of a go'.

"We gave them drugs, a muscle relaxant to calm them down, and that seemed to work but boy, are they powerful. You can see why we needed the Royal New Zealand Air Force."

The Hercules was the only aircraft deemed large and sturdy enough to transport the monster predators.

See what it takes to freight a croc...

Both males, they weigh over half-a-tonne each, and are now the largest, and most dangerous carnivorous predators in New Zealand.

The pair might have been groggy and "a bit grumpy" on arrival in Auckland at midnight on Tuesday but they have since settled into the zoo where they are soon to become the star attractions.

They form the centrepiece of a new saltwater crocodile exhibit - a 32C billabong Mr Dowsett described as "a heated Sheraton"

Their New Zealand keepers have been told to keep the pair apart in separate exhibits so they don't kill each other.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/04/24/47101_ntnews.html