“BALLSY” CROC MOVES INTO NEW DIGS
HE’S big, he’s “ballsy” and he takes no prisoners.
Say hello to Billabong Sanctuary’s new resident crocodile, a 3.8m beast that is more than comfortable in his own scaly skin.
The big boy was introduced to the sanctuary’s croc enclosure on Thursday after being caught in a trap near Saunders Beach last week, and he strutted into his new home as a team of staff and wildlife officers watched.
The croc will be kept by himself for now as he goes through a de-stressing period, and who knows, one day he may be introduced to a girlfriend.
It was the first arrival of a local croc to Billabong Sanctuary since the introduction of Jupiter, a
4.3m saltie caught off The Strand five years ago.
“It was one of the smoothest transport and rehomings we’ve ever experienced,” Billabong Sanctuary’s head of reptiles Damien Randall said.
“It’s always an special experience and the team was amazing. We were especially glad to have the DES (Department of Environment and Science) guys there, they were fantastic.
“The department has a transport crate made out of high-quality, high-durability plastic so the croc can’t injure itself, and a cover is placed over the top to keep it nice and cool.
“It keeps them calm as well.”
The yet-to-be-named reptilian will be placed next to the 5.1m Krakatoa, and Madonna, who measures
2.9m. The new croc was captured in a baited trap after it was seen hanging around boat ramps and a pontoon at Purono Park on Althaus Creek.
It took just 90 minutes after the trap was set for the croc to be caught – a strong indication the big saltie was used to feeding on discarded fish frames, fish scraps and leftover bait.
“It usually takes about a week for them to enter these traps and be caught, this guy took only 90 minutes,” Mr Randall said.
“It was very ballsy, he didn't see the trap as any sort of threat.
“It just goes to show the threat this croc posed and how dangerous he could have been.”
The sanctuary plans to settle on a name for their new croc in coming weeks.