Jupiter feels right at home
BILLABONG Sanctuary has celebrated the second anniversary of a very special member of their team.
Jupiter the crocodile moved into his new home at Billabong Sanctuary on March 3, 2016, after a dramatic capture on The Strand a month earlier.
Jupiter was caught on February 3 and was held for a month by the then- Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.
Billabong Sanctuary general manager Bob Flemming said when people heard about the “monster” captured on Townsville’s most popular tourist destination, they had to visit.
“Even two years later, people are still coming in for him,” Mr Flemming said.
“We’re just thrilled with the way he’s adapted to captivity, I’m sure if he hadn’t been caught I would have given him another three to six months and he probably would have passed away.”
Mr Flemming said when Jupiter first arrived, he was in extremely poor physical condition.
“I think the reason he ended up on The Strand was because he got beaten up by other crocodiles and was looking for somewhere safe,” he said.
Ranger Jeremy Hurburgh said the 4.3m reptile’s condition had improved in leaps and bounds at Billabong, weighing in at around 500kg and aiming to add 150kg more.
“Because he was so skinny and underweight when he arrived, we decided to offer him food and he started to eat straightaway,” he said.
“We’ve seen considerable weight gain, and we’re likely to see that for another few years.”
Mr Hurburgh said Jupiter has adapted so well to life in captivity that it might be time for him to try to find love.
“The enclosure that Jupiter is in actually belongs to Snapper, a female crocodile, she’s the mascot for the 3rd Combat Support Battalion here in Townsville. She’s been housed at Billabong Sanctuary for years and she was moved out of here temporarily to help Jupiter settle in,” he said.
“The plan is to introduce Snapper back into the enclosure some time this year with the hope that we’ll have another breeding pair next season. They’ve never met but they do have something in common, Jupiter’s missing his left eye and Snapper has limited vision in her left eye too, so they’ve got an icebreaker.” DISASTER funding is available through the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements for Townsville, Burdekin, Charters Towers, Etheridge and Palm Island local government areas. Emergency Services Minister Craig Crawford said it was a priority to ensure affected communities received the assistance they needed. POLICE responded to calls that a man had been stabbed in the neck in Heatley late yesterday. Emergency services rushed to Burrell Lane just before 5.30pm after receiving the call. It was understood the victim, whose age was not reported, was seen walking away from the scene a short time later.