By Laetitia Lemke
Fri Sep 18, 2009
Moving home is always a hassle, but for a monstrous Darwin crocodile it has caused more of a headache than usual.
It took a large truck, a crane and a forklift to move the 5.5 metre reptile from a commercial breeding pen in Darwin's rural area to a new home at a crocodile-themed tourist venture in the centre of the CBD.
And why the move? Crocodile park owner, Mick Burns says the old croc was getting tired of the dating game.
"When they get older they get pretty cranky," he said.
"And just because of the sheer size and power of the animal, there was a decrease in the fertility rate and an increase in the mortality.
"So it was time to move him on."
Put simply, the beast, which is yet to be named, has been killing all its would-be female partners.
So park staff took on the massive task of moving him.
"We give the animal a sedative; his eyes were covered," Mr Burns explained.
"So we've done all those as a preventative measure.
"He'll come in here, he'll get an antidote and he'll just take his own time as he goes into the water."
The relocated croc is a fraction bigger than the famous Sweetheart crocodile, which is on display at the Darwin museum, and one of the largest specimens to be kept in captivity.
It now has a studio pen in the heart of the city to inhabit all by itself.
But after heavy sedation, waking up to its new world is taking some time.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/18/2690057.htm
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