14 June 08

Pollution fallout? Tail-less gharials

Call it a fallout of the Chambal controversy or freak of nature, a tail-less gharial has hatched at gharial rehabilitation centre at Kukrail for the first time in its entire history of approximately three decades.

The gharial hatchling (Indian Gharial, Gavialis gangeticus) emerged from one of the eggs brought from Chambal sanctuary to the rehabilitation centre. A total of 225 eggs were brought here from nests in the sanctuary to ensure survival of maximum number of newborns but only 185 could be artificially hatched.

The unhatched eggs would be sent to institutions like Madras Crocodile Bank as they can help in figuring the cause of gharial mortalities.

Photo at URL below: An aberration?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Tail-less_gharials/articleshow/3128022.cms

14 June 08

After short farm visit, alligator sent packing

An 8-foot/2.4-metre Alabama alligator that got a lot of attention when it was found impersonating a speed bump on a Decatur road had apparently decided to lounge in a nearby pond until it was evicted by wildlife experts.

Decatur police and a ranger from Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge borrowed a hoe and shovel and coaxed the alligator off the road. There was little else they could do at the time, he said, as it was not presenting any immediate threat and is protected by law.

Later the reptile was in the pasture. And the next morning, they had an alligator in the pond.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/1213434922126780.xml&coll=1

RELATED STORY

12 June 08

Gators in Decatur

http://www.whnt.com/Global/story.asp?S=8484016

14 June 08

AGFC gearing up for second alligator hunt

The first step in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's renewal process for a second year of the well-received alligator hunting season has begun. For the past couple of weeks, AGFC field crews have been busy conducting spotlight surveys across south Arkansas.

The population data, a harvest report from the first alligator hunt, a summary of last year's nuisance alligator activities and a report on Arkansas' farm-raised alligators will all be compiled into a single report and submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by July 1. The USFWS will have to review the information to determine if the conservative hunting season is having any negative impacts on overall alligator numbers.

It is the goal of the AGFC Alligator Management Team to have an alligator hunt proposal ready to present to the Commission by July 17.

During the 2007 alligator hunting season, 32 permits were issued and 21 alligators were harvested. Twelve gators were harvested in the southwest quarter of the state and nine were harvested in the southeast quarter. The largest alligator taken was a 12 ft, 8 in/4 m male taken on private land in southeast Arkansas.

http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/SPORTS/806140340/1006/SPORTS

14 June 08

Gator Capture in Georgia

A local Georgia paper offers some small pictures and a video link of a capture of a 4-foot/1.2-metre town-visiting alligator being removed by local police.

(Photos and video link.)

http://bainbridgega.com/news/publish/061408gator.shtml

14 June 08

Give gators room, respect 

This time of year always brings increased danger from these saurian relics, whose mating season lasts from April through June. The search for mates puts gators on the move.

The combined imperatives of love and habitat make males of all species more aggressive and dangerous.

Amateurs should never try to capture gators, even small ones. A 16-year-old was bitten on the hand May 21 near Vernon when he tried to capture a 4-foot/1.2-metre one that had walked into a woman's yard. A Volusia County,Fla. deputy was bitten when he tried to capture an 8-foot/2.4-metre one last month.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/NEWS0102/806140307/1015/OPINION

13 June 08

Gator lurks in Mauriceville business district

Eight-year-old Texan Maleesa Potter knows about the gator living in the ditch beside Texas 62.

So do the other kids at Horizon Dance Studio, along with the carhops at the Sonic Drive-In next door. Game wardens will have to set a trap for the four-foot gator that has been wandering around in the heart of this small community's business district.

It's easy for the critter to hide. A wide, open drainage ditch runs along the highway by the dance studio with an overgrown field on the other side. A concrete culvert, about 12 ft/3.6 m wide, is under the drive to the studio. The culvert has thick horizontal bars across the round opening, but the space between the bars allows the alligator to lumber through.

To date, there haven't been any documented deaths related to alligators in Texas, and those injured typically are waterfowl hunters who unwittingly disturb a gator.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19773515&BRD=2287&PAG=461&dept_id=512588&rfi=6

12 June 08

Man charged with selling wild animals

A Mississippi pet store owner was charged with selling wild animals as pets without a permit and for selling alligators.

James Robert Bates, was arrested by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks for having about eight different species and 40 wild animals in his pet store. Ricky Flynt, Alligator Program Coordinator for the department, said that of those animals, there were a number of American alligator hatchlings at Bates’ store, which is named Bird Cages for Less.

“Just the possession of live alligators in the state of Mississippi is illegal, period,” Flynt said.

If found guilty, Bates could face fines up to $50,000.

http://www.picayuneitem.com/local/local_story_164143618.html

11 June 08

Alligator spotted at S. Carolina Lake

South Carolina residents around Broadway Lake warn that a different type of creature comes out to play as night falls around the water. An alligator’s been spotted five nights in a row - and another neighbor said he’d spotted it a month ago. They say it comes out as temperatures cool, around 8:30 in the evening. They said the biggest concern is for the pets and children who play in the water, sometimes in the cooler evening hours.

Capt. Bill Striewing of the Anderson County Park Police said he does not think there is a family of alligators lurking in the waters of Broadway Lake, but he did see one that was around 3-4 feet long.

Striewing said he’s applied for a permit to place traps to catch the alligator, hoping to relocate it. He said if that does not work, the animal may need to be destroyed, but that would be a last option.

(Editor's note: Alligators typically become active between dusk and dawn, usually to hunt, after a day of heat absorbtion. The darkness of night serves their stealth hunting technique very well. - I.D.)

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2008/jun/11/alligator-spotted-broadway-lake/

11 June 08

Brunswick DA consulted in Leland gator killing

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has asked Brunswick County District Attorney Rex Gore for guidance in dealing with the case of an alligator Leland police officers killed.

Town police say they had no choice but to shoot the animal, arguing it had been badly injured by a vehicle and wouldn't move off N.C. 133 early on May 23, posing a danger to drivers. But Wildlife Resources Sgt. Bill Lester says he arrived on the scene later that day and saw no signs the 11-foot alligator had been injured before police shot it.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080611/ARTICLE/806110327/1004&title=Brunswick_

DA_consulted_in_Leland_gator_killing

11 June 08

Alligator captured in Fla. parking lot

More on Florida gators wandering around during mating season, this time featuring a 8-footer/2.4-metre subject.

Local alligator trappers are working overtime to remove the gators.

Video link at URL below.

http://www.nbc-2.com/articles/readarticle.asp?articleid=19768&z=3

07 June 08

Albino alligator packs 'em in at Norwalk

The 12-year-old male albino alligator that has taken up residence in an outdoor tank at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Connecticut for the summer has it all: The best quality North Atlantic herring, caring keepers and a crowd of adoring fans who think he's the best thing since sliced bread.

But he has no name. The big sign simply reads: "The Great White Alligator."

It's what makes it worthwhile for visitors like Amy King of Norwalk to pay to see.

The white gator will be at the aquarium through Labor Day. The aquarium is open each day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The aquarium is open until 6 p.m. each evening during the months of July and August. Admission for adults is $11.

Video at URL below.

http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_9516992

07 June 08

Today's 'Gator Day' at Florence Marina

A story on what local Georgians can expect as their neighbouring alligators wake from hibernation.

"I think alligators primarily are adapted to eat turtles," said Bill Birkhead, a Columbus State University biologist who has conducted alligator counts at the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge. "They're broad-snouted, and their jaws are adapted for crushing. They're opportunistic. They're carnivorous, so they will take mammals."

They do love a critter that's already dead, which saves them the trouble of killing it, said Bob Hinson, one of Georgia's nuisance alligator trappers. "They'd rather eat something that's already decomposed," he said. "They'll even take stuff and hide it in the mud, and come back and eat it."

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/341350.html

04 June 08

35 croc nesting sites found in Bhitarkanika

Indian Wildlife personnel have spotted 35 nesting sites of estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in Orissa's Bhitarkanika National Park even as reports of violent crocodiles launching assault on humans are coming from various peripheral parts of the national park.

The crocs are found turning violent during nesting period and human interference near the nests invites the wrath of the reptiles, forest officials said. Last year 56 nesting sites had been spotted.

As per the latest census, the number of saltwater crocodiles, which are not found in any river system, stood at 1,540, the sources said.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1168638

03 June 08

Crocodile eats nosy turtle in Kakadu

Passengers on board an Australian Kakadu tourist boat got more than their money's worth when they witnessed a hungry crocodile feast on a pig-nosed turtle.

"The croc just had it between its huge jaws and hung on to it, trying to crack the shell I guess."

(Photo at URL below)

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23802117-5001021,00.html

31 May 08

Exhibit to showcase life of  'Supercroc'

A special exhibit featuring a prehistoric crocodile the size of a motor coach opened at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman.

"The Science of SuperCroc Featuring Nigersaurus,” on view through Aug. 24, showcases two specimens found by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and paleontologist Paul Sereno.

SuperCroc is the nickname given to Sarcosuchus imperator, a 40-foot-long crocodile that lived about 110 million years ago in what is now the Sahara Desert.

http://newsok.com/exhibit-to-showcase-life-of-supercroc/article/3251080/?tm=1212305677

31 May 08

Living besides the jaws of danger

Crocodiles are beginning to make more common appearances in villages on the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital.

“In the 1980’s there was an incident where a pregnant mother living in one of the houses was attacked by a crocodile. This is a real menace,” a resident Nilmini Fernando lamented.

Reports of a crocodile or even more than one being spotted on the canal banks in the vicinity of a leading international school located here have also affected the children, their parents and teachers.

An official from the Department of Wild Life Conservation said they had visited the site but were awaiting the assistance of a veterinary surgeon to tranquilize the crocodiles before capturing them.