|
|
CROCODOPOLIS world of crocodilians TM SCIENCE · CULTURE · INDUSTRY · NEWS · COMMUNICATION · CONSERVATION
|
|||||
|
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 13 July 08
CROCTV:
16 June 08 Crazy O'Dz Underwater Crocodile Encounter
Adventurer Crazy O'Dz encounters an Indopacific Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). Here's his description of tete-a-tete: "I filmed this crocodile in the waters of the island nation of Palau. I have always had a fear of these terrifying creatures, but once we spent a little time together we became tolerant of each other's presence and I was able to get some amazing footage..." See it here.
17 July 08 Gator caught to be evaluated and relocated
The four foot/1.2 metre alligator living in the Illinois Lake Renwick Nature Preserve seemed to have made himself at home, but ended up caught.
Staff discovered the four-foot alligator Saturday morning, lazing on a log near nesting herons in the lake's Rookery Nature Preserve. "He's not really hunting. (The rookery island) appears to be his favorite place to sun himself," said a volunteer.
Glen Buckner, a wildlife ecologist with the district, has been at Lake Renwick most of the day every day this week trying to catch the little gator, who staff speculate was placed in the lake by someone who had kept it as a pet.
The plan is
(was) to continue chicken-baiting and checking the traps, attempting to
enclose him in the netted area, or, if he gets close enough, making like
The Crocodile Hunter and grabbing it. So far, he's only caught turtles
and raccoons. No details yet
on how the little guy was finally nabbed
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/home/1061193,jo17_gator_web.article
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/1060629,4_1_JO17_GATOR_S1.article 17 July 08 A near croc attack on the Delaware?
A New Jersey fisherman has claimed that he was almost bitten by a 4-5 foot/ 1.2-1.5 metre-long alligator while fishing in the Delaware River, although police have yet to find any evidence that the claim was true.
Police notified boaters and hikers in the area and asked them to spread the word. The DEP was also notified. Police have not received any reports of the creature since.
Crocodiles and alligators, of course, are not native to the Delaware River, preferring much warmer climates. Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum said she has never heard any report of such animals living along the river, but said it could be possible that someone would have one as a pet, decide they didn't want it, and abandon the animal near the river. Sgt. Jones pointed out that a pet alligator was recently confiscated during a drug bust in northern New Jersey.
A regular
Delaware River fisherman has an another theory:
that the animal that
was spotted might have been a freshwater fish called a musky that can
reach four feet in length and that is known to float on the river
surface when its belly is full, its eyes poking out from the water like
an alligator's or crocodile's would. Muskies have large mouths with
sharp teeth.
http://www.nj.com/delawarevalleynews/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1216285523155190.xml&coll=12 17 July 08 Croc Talk in San Pedro
Belize officials continue in their efforts to educate the public, tour guides and hotel staff in the do’s and don’ts of being around alligators … specifically, on the problems involved when people start feeding the animals.
“Beginning with a disturbing video of an experienced “croc trainer” who ends up losing an arm while showcasing his act …”
Under the
Belize Wildlife Protection Act,
“wildlife” means all
undomesticated mammals, birds and reptiles. With the exception of
permitted hunting, it is illegal to kill or molest such wildlife and in
the case of endangered species these laws are very specific, and feeding
them is strictly prohibited.
http://www.sanpedrosun.net/08-283.html 17 July 08 Nacen 32 cocodrilitos en el reptilario de Puerto Vallarta
The University
of Guadalajara has hatched 32 baby
American Crocodiles
(Crocodylus
acutus)
from a combination of
farmed and wild eggs.
http://www.diariodemexico.com.mx/?module=displaystory&story_id=50134&format=html 16 July 08 Alligator found near banks of Michigan river
When Shane Scott and his son, Michael, 8, headed down to Michigan’s Saginaw River, all they expected to catch were some fish … not a two-foot/half-metre long alligator.
The party
captured the alligator by throwing their shirts on the animal, placing a
rubber band around the reptile's snout and then picking it up and
placing it in a cooler. Rex Ainslie, a
wildlife supervisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources,
said his agency doesn't deal with alligators and he's not sure what
agency could help find a new home for the reptile.
''Most zoos won't take
animals unless they have some paperwork on them,'' he said.
He said alligators shouldn't be kept in coolers.
http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1216221324238470.xml&coll=4 16 July 08 Police find alligator in apartment While investigating shooting
Massachusetts police investigating a shooting walked into a New Bedford apartment, searching for victims after finding a bullet hole in an outside window.
They did not find anyone who had been shot. But the officers did make an unexpected discovery: a 3-foot/metre-long-long American alligator inside a plastic storage tote.
Alligators are illegal to sell or possess in Massachusetts. Getting caught with an alligator can result in a fine. However, it is not illegal in Rhode Island and New Hampshire to own alligators. Police officials said most local residents who have been caught with alligators had purchased them from stores in Rhode Island.
The alligator, estimated to be around 5 years old, was seized by New Bedford Animal Control. It is now at a Taunton facility licensed by the state to rehabilitate alligators and other reptiles.
As an aside, during previous events Lt. Silva came across three alligators in drug dealers’ homes. The animals were usually kept for intimidation purposes, and were often stored near the dealers’ narcotics stashes.
Still, even for most reputed drug dealers, alligators remain a rare breed of guard dog.
Massachusetts
Environmental Police are investigating to determine who the owner is,
and plan to file charges, officials said.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080716/NEWS/80716012 14 July 08 Nine-feet long crocodile caught in Bengal river
In India, a nine-foot/three-metre long crocodile was caught in Subarnarekha river by the villagers of Gardhara village.
The crocodile,
believed to be carried by recent flood-waters from elsewhere.
‘Hundreds’ of local people have thronged the
river bank to have a glimpse of the crocodile.
http://www.newkerala.com/one.php?action=fullnews&id=84889 14 July 08 Crocodile Recovered from Atlanta Sub-division Pond
Two Atlanta-area fishermen found an unusual surprise in their neighborhood pond – a 42 inch/metre-long crocodile.
How the
crocodile ended up in the pond and what happened to it afterwards is not
known.
16 July 08 Tomistoma crocodile exhibit open in New Jersey
A zoological exhibit
featuring the rare Malayan Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) will
be open at the Cape May County Zoo in Cape May, New Jersey, July 12 to
October 24, 2008.
The exhibit also features photographs provided by Tomistoma field biologists Mark Bezuijen and Mark Auliya and includes information about the biology of this species and threats to its survival in the wild.
A donation station will allow the public to make contributions to the conservation efforts of the Crocodile Specialist Group's Tomistoma Task Force and the zoo has agreed to match those donations.
To learn more about the zoo or obtain directions, please visit the zoo's website, http://www.capemaycountyzoo.org/html/zoo_cape_may_county_zoological.html.
11 July 08 Texas caimans home after brief escape
Two spectacled caimans that escaped from a pen in Noack, Texas has led to bickering amongst neighbors and suspicions of vandalism.
The caimans escaped through a downed cinderblock wall on one side of the pit. Weather was one possible culprit, but the owner speculated that someone may have purposely knocked the wall over.
Neighbor Susan Rushton, who lives across the street from Rubenstein’s caiman pit, said the reptiles pose a threat to animals and small children in the area. She also thinks there is still a caiman on her property.
The incident touched off a dispute between owner Rubenstein and the Rushtons. The Rushtons refused to allow Rubenstein onto their property to retrieve his animal, which they believe to be dangerous, instead saying they would shoot the reptile should they spot it, which is legal as long as the caiman is on their property.
Other neighbors wishing to remain unnamed had concerns for their animals but also said the caimans were not a nuisance as long as they remained secured in the pen.
Detective John
Foster with Williamson County Sheriff’s Department said Rubenstein was
not violating any laws that the department was aware of.
http://www.taylordailypress.net/articles/2008/07/11/news/news04.txt 10 July 08 Crocodile spotted in Japan's Saitama river
A
1.5-meter/5-foot-long crocodile was seen in a river in Japan’s Kawaguchi
City. Police have searched the river but have so far failed to
find the crocodile. Police said the crocodile might have been a pet
abandoned by its owner once it grew too large.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/15-meter-long-crocodile-spotted-in-saitama-river 10 July 08 Search for caiman in Fremont suspended
A day after announcing that he'd likely use a fishing pole and half a chicken breast to catch the 3 foot/metre-long caiman, Sgt. John Dauzat, who heads California’s Tri-City Animal Control, called off all efforts Thursday amid hoards of onlookers and a reported third sighting of a caiman at a different body of water earlier in the week.
Details of that sighting remained scant, but park rangers apparently were alerted to a caiman that was seen at Stivers Lagoon at the south end of Central Park on Sunday, Dauzat said.
That news, the
sergeant said, has led him to believe that the apparently abandoned
reptile could be anywhere because it could have traveled unnoticed
through a series of creeks and nearby drainage ditches.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_9844261 10 July 08 Gator creates uproar at Ohio greenhouse
A customer at Medina, Ohio’s Liberty Gardens screamed when she spotted a 3-foot/metre-long alligator while in a greenhouse at the back of the nursery's property.
A worker who heard the scream rushed to find out what was happening. That's when she says the alligator started chasing her.
The alligator
took off into the bushes. Eventually one Medina police officer sent to
'wrangle' the gator managed to get it into a snare, and afterwards,
turned it over to animal control.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/regional/akron_article.aspx?storyid=92926&catid=6 09 July 08 Most alligators face death in Tennessee
Bringing alligators over the Tennessee border is about the same as signing their death sentence if they are discovered.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has been forced to begin euthanizing them because there aren't enough facilities to take care of seized alligators and releasing them into the wild in Tennessee is not an option.
"We're facing the problem of finding legally sufficient facilities to hold the animals," said agency spokesman Walter Cook. "We usually try and place them with a zoo, that way we know they won't be resold and won't resurface. But alligators can live for 30 or 40 years. With the number of animals produced for sale, their receptacles fill up pretty quickly because they're holding animals from years past."
Alligators are
illegal to possess or import in Tennessee and violators face up to a
$2,500 fine and 11 months and 29 days in jail for each animal. Cook said the wildlife agency typically handles three to five alligator incidents per year, although some years have featured more than 10 alligator calls. They began euthanizing them in 2007 when placement became a problem. They have euthanized three since last year.
"It's so
upsetting and so unfair that when people do something stupid, the
alligator has to pay the price," said Nashville resident Brenda Batey.
http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080709/NEWS01/807090312/1002 08 July 08 Croc farming looks set to prosper
Bangladesh’s Reptiles Farm Ltd in Bhalukaupazila was able to hatch 141 crocodiles from 600 eggs laid at the farm last year. The croc babies, now over a year old, are expected to fetch a prize between US$ 600 to 1000 each when they are sold at two years of age.
Dr Arif, the manager of the farm, said that the farm is about to start a new nursery this year under Australian technical support to house 1200 crocodile kids.
If the project runs according to plans, the farm will be earning one million US dollars annually from 2012, inside sources said.
A crocodile costs around Tk 25,000 (US $365, Euro 230) to 30,000 to rear over 2.5 years to three years while they can be sold at around TK 50,000 to 60,000 (US $875, Euro 550) in foreign markets. Some universities have also expressed interest to collaborate with the farm, set on 13.4 acres of land containing 12 ponds and two lagoons, to provide practical knowledge to their students on crocodile farming, he added.
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
