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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 11 March 07
17 March 07 Your news editor goes on leave Your illustrious News Editor is on a break from news duty until March 26. I'll try to keep the news coming until he returns. - I. Dupont
16 March 07 Cops armed with dish towel Remove gator from neighborhood
A pleasant story. Little do these police officers know that dish towels are commonly used in the capture of crocodilians by professionals. - I.D. http://www.wftv.com/news/11271799/detail.html
16 March 07 Oregon's Jurassic Croc
The rare reptile fossil found by an amateur paleontologist crossed an ocean of time and the Earth's crust to get here. In its day, the creature lunged from the water to snare low-flying reptiles called pterosaurs. But less than two years ago, Andrew Bland, an amateur fossil-hunter from Vancouver, scanned a hillside near the tiny town of Suplee and spied a curious brownish-black rock, which turned out to be a strange and very, very old skull. http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/117410012
15
March 07
Alligator killed after exiting river Near school bus stop
An
11 foot/3.3 metre-long alligator was captured and killed after
crawling out of a river near a school bus stop in Merritt Island.
15
March 07
Alligator rescued in Delavan fire
Wisconsin-Firefighters
rescued a foot-long/30-cm, pet alligator from an apartment fire.
Apparently, the blaze started because of faulty wiring in the
gator tanks’ heat lamp.
A
friend of the tenants sustained minor cuts from glass shards when they
tried to enter the apartment to save the pets (there was a dog saved
as well).
http://www.gazetteextra.com/delavanfire031507.asp
15
March 07
Did you snap alligator?
Is
a snarling, carnivorous reptile pounding the streets of Reading (UK)?
Now
that the Evening Post has your full attention, the newspaper
would like more information from any citizen that witnessed the
“yard/metre-long beast” chained to its’ owner, alongside a busy
thoroughfare.
http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/2008/2008641/did_you_snap_alligator
16 March 07 Auction of George crocodiles set
The
13 March ‘Croc park ensnared in legal scandal saga’
continues
as a date has been set for the auction of about 1,000 crocodiles from
South Africa’s George Crocodile Park to raise R140 000 the park owes
the George municipality.
Health
services director Dr Michele Gratz said: “We were going to drain the
pools to establish the sex of the crocodiles, but it is quite a costly
exercise and logistically difficult … Females are more valuable, but
it was decided that the crocodiles would be auctioned irrespective of
their sex.”
The
attachment of the crocodiles came after a tip-off that the Park’s
owner was loading crocodiles onto trucks for sale to a farm in KwaZulu
Natal.
http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n09_16032007.htm
15
March 07
Croc’s origins soon known
The
origin of a 7.5 foot/ 2.3 metre American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
that had been captured on 30 December at Old Man Bay should soon be
known.
Director
of the Department of Environment Gina Ebanks–Petrie said that
information is expected back from the Smithsonian Tropical Research
Institute in Panama in the form of preliminary results, indicating
whether the animal comes from Cuba, Central America or South America.
Ms
Ebanks–Petrie said at a previous press conference she believed it to
be in the animal’s best interests to repatriate it to its native
population.
A
microchip has now been placed in the croc in order for identification
purposes.
Crocodiles
have been occasional visitors to Grand Cayman in the past, with the last
sighting in the 1950s. http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1020733
15
March 07
Reptile temperature detection genes Identified by researchers
Sydney
University researchers have identified how crocodiles and other reptiles
detect temperature.
Dr.
Frank Seebacher and Dr. Shauna A Murray from Sydney University's School
of Biological Sciences have shown that reptiles possess a family of
genes that code for proteins which act as external heat sensors as well
as providing an internal thermometer.
15
March 07 Rain washes out NT croc study
A
study showing nine times as many crocodiles as normal were about to
hatch in Australia’s Northern Territory has been washed out by
wet-season rains – 30 McKinlay River nests were lost.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200703/1872221.htm?nt
14
March 07 'Alligator Killing Was Senseless'
“I
am outraged at the senseless killing of the alligator found in Rhea
County. This poor creature hadn't done anything wrong. It had not
"attacked" anyone or anything. It was just trying to live its
life”.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_103543.asp
13
March 07
Four gharials arrive at Tirupati zoo
Four
`gharials' have been transferred from Indira Gandhi zoological park to
to the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, Tirupati.
(Ed: ‘Aw, gee, aren’t they cute?’ photo at URL)
14
March 07
Tennessee alligator found, killed
The
following are two concurrent Tennessee press stories about a 5 foot/1.5
metre-long, 28 pound/12.7 kilo alligator that was found and euthanised
in Rhea Springs.
Alligators
are not native to Tennessee because the climate is too cold for a
population to be sustained.
An
official remarked that "Somebody probably bought this one as a pet
down in Florida and kept it until it got too large and uncontrollable
… That's when they just let it go."
This
was one of only three gator sightings in at least twenty years in
Tennessee. While state officials say to always be aware of where your
children are swimming, but for the most part parents shouldn't worry
about any more gators lurking.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5415690,00.html
http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=6902
14
March 07
Wildlife Officials: Education May reduce alligator attacks
In
that most alligator attacks are a case of being in the wrong place at
the wrong time or human error, the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission in considering a program to educate people about
the dangers of feeding alligators and venturing into their territory; in
lieu of charging people with second-degree misdemeanors for feeding
them.
One
state official noted "If people could see what an alligator attack
looks like, they would never feed an alligator again." http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/mar/14/fwc_education_may_reduce _alligator_attacks/?local_news
13
March 07
Only one at Fl. alligator policy meeting
Only
one member of the public attended the Ninth Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission meeting on how best to manage the states’
gator population.
The
coordinator of the Alligator Management Program for the state, Harry J.
Dutton, gave his presentation, anyway. He said his department is trying
to keep the alligator population stable in about 50 areas under intense
management. The last estimation of the alligator population, from about
20 years ago, set it at 1 million, he said. http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070313/NEWS0105/7
09 March 07 Chinese alligators rise early this year
Yangtze, China's alligators (Alligator sinensis) living in the Shanghai Wild Animal Park woke up from their winter hibernation last week, almost a month earlier than normal, park officials said yesterday. http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200703/20070309/article_3 Submitted by I. Dupont
13
March 07 Croc park ensnared in legal scandal
In
a follow-on story to previously posted 02 March 07
Croc park loses
court bid, the controversial George Crocodile Park in South Africa
may have thousands of its crocodiles sold off by the courts to pay the
R140 000 in legal fees it owes George municipality.
The
crocodile park is not new to controversy. In a separate incident, the
park also lost a case against the municipality after the owner
refused to vacate the property two and a half years ago, and in 2005 he
was also charged by Cape Nature for illegally transporting 2,000 live
baby crocodiles in the back of his car.” http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n02_13032007.htm
13
March 07
Cops seek 3 men, alligator After trailer-home break-in
In
Mount Ivy, New York state, three men possibly armed with assault rifles
burst into a mobile home yesterday, avoided a 3.5 -foot/metre-long
alligator and ransacked the premises as a woman hid in the closet,
Haverstraw police said.
Officials
said that ‘the three men left the (undernourished) alligator alone’
and that Department of Environmental Conservation had been called to
take custody of the animal.
However,
the Police Chief noted that when the conservation staff arrived to take
away the animal, “It was removed by an unknown third party prior to
the DEC arriving … Who has it, I don't know yet. The detectives are
looking into it.” http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070313/NEWS03
(Ed
note: This item reflects a long-running press-related problem that is a
particular bete-noir of mine.
It is not unusual for ‘crime’ items that involve drugs/violence etc, to feature – often predominantly – that those accused kept large reptiles in one form or another. In many cases, the presence of the ‘dangerous’ reptile is the highpoint of the story and overshadows the original reasons for the police raid or intervention! In this story, 30% of the details concentrate on the gator … vice the three bad men holding ‘machine guns’. The ‘so what’ of this ‘weighted coverage (notwithstanding that the facts as given, are accurate)’ is a continuation and confirmation of the public’s misperception that all large-herp-keeping people are ‘bad men – very ,very bad men’. Thus endith my lecture/rant. Wes)
11 March 07 Crocs kill three in separate incidents
Three Zimbabweans - two of them children - were killed by crocodiles in separate incidents last week. Eight-year-old Trymore Banda died when a crocodile pulled him down into the Muzvezve River in Kadoma while he swam with a friend. In Darwendale, a crocodile attacked fisherman Joseph Nhiwatiwa after he reportedly took off his clothes before wading into the river. Twelve-year-old Lorraine Sakawa from Glendale, who was killed by two crocodiles while fetching water from a dam. http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=16220&cat=1
12
March 07
Croccy Horror Shoe!
From
the UK we get word (and an illustrative photo) that sportswear giant
Nike is under fire from the animal rights groups after putting a
special edition training shoe made from crocodile skin on sale for £1,400
/US$2700 /Eur 2050.
Saltwater
crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) skin is amongst the most
expensive and sought-after exotic skins in the world, and the internet
boasts hundreds of companies offering crocodile products for sale.
One group claims that alligators and crocodiles on farms
“may” (Ed: emphasis mine)
be beaten to death with hammers and axes, sometimes remaining
conscious and in agony for up to two hours after they are skinned.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1255357,00.html
11
March 07
Elephants fed to cash crocs
From
a South African paper we have a short report that Zimbabwe's national
parks authority is killing 50-100 Lake Kariba el http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?s et_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=vn20070311082
12
March 07 Gator got your tongue? Public invited to weigh in during State alligator management meets
A
public meeting in Fort Myers on Tuesday will focus on public safety and
nuisance alligators. Topics for other meetings around the state include
the recreational and commercial harvest of alligators as well
conservation of the species.
The
meetings could result in relaxed alligator harvest regulations on
private lands, said Steve Stiegler, a wildlife biologist in FWC’s
alligator management program.
An
online survey by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found an
even divide among residents who believe the state’s alligator harvest
regulations are either too restrictive or too lenient. Many others feel
they are just right.
“The
review is more to see if we can manage alligator populations more
efficiently and with less regulation than we have in the past.”
The
Fort Myers meeting will focus on public safety, but the public is free
to discuss any topic they wish concerning alligators, said Lindsey Hord,
coordinator of the state’s nuisance alligator program for the Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission. If you go: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will hold a public meeting to discuss options for improving alligator management from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the first floor conference room of the Lee County Commission Building in Fort Myers. [Ed:
Please see the Calendar
of Live Events for practical information on the FWC public meetings
around the State.] http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/mar/12/gator_got_your_tongue/
10
March 07 Texas opens hunting season To help alligator control
A
more detailed follow-on to 07 March 07, April brings the first Texas
gator hunting season in decades, this Texas press item explores the
state's rationale for implementing the new hunting season and the
regulations that go along with it. Of note, the authors points out that
"It's not so much that there are more alligators in Texas as that
their wild habitat has been replaced by decorative ponds and irrigation
waterways in newly populated areas that the alligators can't help but
try to claim."
David
Martin, head of herpetology at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville,
said alligators were rarely if ever seen in the Rio Grande Valley before
the 1970s, with sightings increasing steadily since then. "We
actually have created a lot of habitat."
Alligator
harvests in Florida this fall were at a record high 5,800. Louisiana,
king of alligator country, harvests 32,000 to 34,000 alligators a year.
Georgia had 3,000 applicants for the 500 permits it issued for its
fourth season last fall, while Alabama's first season was launched with
13 killed on opening night. South Carolina may be next to join in. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4618605.html
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