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CROCODOPOLIS world of crocodilians TM SCIENCE · CULTURE · INDUSTRY · NEWS · COMMUNICATION · CONSERVATION
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NEWS
The CROC PRESS Regular coverage of crocodilians and people in headlines worldwide.
Wes von Papineäu, News Page Editor Email: crocnews@crocodopolis.net _________________________________________________
Week of 9 March 08
07 March 08 'Supersize Crocs: Measuring Up to Crocs'
Check out the latest installment of CrocTV as intrepid crocodile specialist Rom Whitaker tracks down giant Indian Gharials (Gavialis gangeticus). As he records them, he employs his unique method of measuring the animals in "Roms." See it here.
14 March 08 Crocodile foils fire dept
A 2.5 metre/ 8 foot crocodile was spotted at the entrance of the Malaysia's sea-front Danga Bay. The reptile is believed to have been swept by floodwaters at a river into the Straits of Tebrau.
At least 15 firemen were dispatched to catch the crocodile, but were unable to get the reptile out of the water. The firemen were only trained to catch crocodiles on land, not in water.
"We tried to lure the reptile to land by throwing a half dressed chicken tied to string towards it, but the knot on the string loosened and the chicken fell into the sea," he said. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/14/nation/20080314193845&sec=nation
14 March 08 Alligators move lungs to dive, roll in water
Two items about a University of Ohio study of how American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) use their diaphragm, pelvic, abdominal and rib muscles to change their centre of buoyancy.
T.J. Uriona, a doctoral student whose study appears in the Journal of Experimental Biology says "It allows them to quietly change how they are positioned in the water so they can strike."
"This doesn't require any really quick movements that might give their position away."
Uriona and colleagues think this adept manipulation of special muscles to control buoyancy may be important to other aquatic animals, including African clawed frogs, some salamanders, turtles and manatees.
Uriona said the research offers a different theory on why alligators have diaphragm muscles, which are not common among reptiles. http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=804c3388-9fa1-4056-a9b5-df95f326f2db http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j-UkSfJ-zkjgnA-LTORP9KEKaZFg 13 March 08 Mum rescues daughter from croc
A woman has rescued her 25 year-old daughter from the jaws of a "seven metre/23 foot-long"large crocodile on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
When she herad her river-bathing daughter screaming, mother Rohima "... jumped into the river, getting close to that bastard animal, but because my daughter was caught my fear disappeared."
"I kicked its body - it's mouth bit Trisna's leg I opened it so that the jaw was loose." The daughter received 50 stitches to her legs and remains in hospital. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23368272-5005961,00.html 12 March 08 Crocodile no threat, State tells sailing club
A five-foot/1.5 metre-long American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) that swims near the mangroves by Florida's Coconut Grove Sailing Club is making some parents uneasy.
Their 11- and 12-year-olds are just a bit smaller than the reptile that has made Biscayne Bay its home, so the club and its members are urging that the crocodile be removed.
Florida Fish and Wildlife's Crocodile Response Coordinator agent Mike Cherkiss went to study the animals behaviour and after analysis, Cherkiss advised that there's no reason to relocate the animal. There has never been a documented bite of a person in Florida by an American crocodile. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/neighbors/story/453106.html 11 March 08 Mid-Valley alligator family doing well
Two baby alligators at Texas' Estero Llano Grande State Park have been the source of enthusiasm from park staff and visitors.
The hatchlings made their debut at the park three weeks ago and have since been spotted around the lake with their mother. Park naturalists estimate the young gators to be nearing one year of age because of their proximity to their parents.
Though the four-gator family can be seen frequently, park officials said the reptiles prefer to stay away from people and usually remain on the banks opposite the hiking trails.
"They don't come over to people," White said. "We like to teach people that alligators only become a problem to humans because they make them a problem by feeding them, tormenting them and throwing things at them. We remind people that alligators don't need us to provide for them." http://www.themonitor.com/articles/well_9821___article.html/weslaco_alligator.html
13 March 08 Alligator farm vandal suspects arrested
After a flurry of tips of
information about vandals who assaulted animals and damaged and stole
property at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St.
Augustine, Florida, investigators in St. Johns County have two vandalism
suspects in jail, and eyes on a third.
12 March 08 Vandals raid Alligator Farm; Attack crocs, steal property Three men were recently caught on tape breaking into the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in Florida where the director said several endangered species might have been seriously hurt. Police hope the surveillance tape from the Alligator Farm Zoological Park helps them figure out who's responsible for Tuesday night's ruckus among the reptiles. The video shows the men walking in and out of the Alligator Farm. Officials at the attraction said the trio threw things at the animals while inside vandalizing the property. Story & Video: http://www.news4jax.com/news/15578239/detail.html 10 March 08 'Alligator Man' risks life and limb For wildlife trade Deodat Mahamad known as 'Alligator Man' earns his living by catching caimans and other wildlife and preserving them for export. Mahamad told Stabroek News that though the trade is risky he enjoys it and could not envision himself in another line of work.
He said too the financial rewards are not attractive when one compares it to the "hard work," of "skinning" the reptiles then drying them for the market. http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_general_news?id=56540759
10 March 08 Croc surfaces at Cairns picnic spot
Another scaly visitor has shown
up at Centenary Lakes in Cairns after the recent heavy rain.
10 March 08 Crocs escape from rickety cages In Vietnam Mekong Delta
Residents in Vietnam's Mekong
Delta region fear that more crocodiles will escape from poorly built
cages used by small family farms in the area.
09 March 08 S. African boy missing after croc attack
A search is underway for an 11-year-old Limpopo boy after he was attacked by a crocodile while playing near a river, police said today. Sibusiso Ndove and a group of friends were playing near the Xitumbe River in Mhinga Location on Friday when the incident occurred, said Inspector Magezi Chauke.
"The boys swam in the river for a few minutes, and were drying off on nearby rocks.” Ndove was sitting on a rock close to the river, when the crocodile grabbed him and pulled him into the water. http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=02SOC100308
07 March 08 Philly police raid nets alligator
A narcotics
raid in West Philadelphia has turned up more
than drugs and suspects. A live alligator turned up at one
of the targeted locations. http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/1785305.php?
07 March 08 Florida man busted again for Naked, drunken gator hunting
A little over a
year ago in Lakeland, Florida, he was found naked and high
on crack one night in
You might think Adrian Apgar would never want to see another one, especially since that one bit off his arm.
It appears, though, that he just can't seem to stay away from the scaly beasts: Thursday night, deputies found Apgar naked…again…this time, wading in the alligator-infested waters of Saddle Creek.
12 March 08 Poison-Induced gout Blamed for Gharial mortality
Invasive fish carrying industrial chemicals likely triggered the recent die-off of 110 critically endangered reptiles known as gharials in a central Indian river sanctuary, scientists announced last week. Since December officials have found the crocodile-like animals washed ashore dead along the banks of the largely pristine Chambal River, one of the few unpolluted rivers in India. Researchers therefore think an unidentified substance might be seeping into the Chambal and affecting the gharials' food supply. Autopsies of the animals revealed evidence that they perished from gout, a painful metabolic disease, after ingesting polluted fish. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080312-gharials.html
10 March 08 Un yacaré le comió el pie A un nene de 8 años
In Argentina, an 8-year old lost his foot to a crocodile while fetching water. http://www.diariolarepublica.com.ar/notix/noticia.php?i=140010 10 March 08 Nada se sabe de cocodrilos del Ozama
In the Dominican Republic, officials have proved unable to captured a couple of suspected crocodiles loose in the Ozama and Isabela rivers. http://www.elnacional.com.do/article.aspx?id=40679 07 March 08 Atrapan a cocodrilo en balneario de SLP
Mexican authorities are concerned about the sudden appearance of a two-metre/6-foot long crocodile that has surfaced in a tourist area. They suspect that the animal is a released pet. http://www.diario.com.mx/nota.php?notaid=f07e6bfe03acef941f540f71f711074d
11 March 08 Croc gives rangers slip
Queensland Parks and Wildlife regional director Clive Cook said rangers had not been able to find the 1.5m/ 5 ft croc that surfaced in Centenary Lakes "Obviously, with all the flooding we've had, we do have the expectation that crocs will move into quieter water.
"The lakes are a classic example of this." http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/03/11/2187_local-news.html 10 March 08 'Alligator Man' risks life and limb In wildlife trade
Guyanan Deodat Mahamad known as 'Alligator Man' earns his living by catching caimans and other wildlife and preserving them for export.
He had just spent over two weeks in Abary Creek with two of his four employees and they caught 210 caimans. He had already removed the entrails, washed the skins with bleach and was applying a "special salt" to preserve them. He was preparing them for an exporter who collects them from the site for $600-800. http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_general_news?id=56540759 06 March 08 Surprise for scientists As crocodile turns up in bird cage
Scooter the wayward 1.8 metre/5.9 foot-long saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) has surprised scientists by turning up inside a cage used to trap wild birds in north Queensland.
Scooter, along with several other juveniles, had been released a few years earlier as part of another group's research. While all the other crocodiles were recaptured, even professional trappers had not been able to bring him in.
"He was nicknamed Scooter because he would scoot away any time they came close to catching him. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,20797,23330540-3102,00.html?from=public_rss
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