Crocodiles moved to warmer enclosure

SUMMER is over for the crocodiles at Johannesburg Zoo, and as winter slowly creeps up on us, it’s that time of the year where catching the crocs for their annual stint in the hot house is a tricky one. So said Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo’s Ian du Plessis, curator for reptiles, amphibians and fish.

During the winter months, all 15 male crocs are kept in the 26°C hot house, until the early weeks of September.

“The purpose of this is to regulate their body temperatures in order for them to stay alive during the bitterly cold nights outside of their enclosure,” Du Plessis said.

These cold-blooded reptiles are not fed during their stay in the hot house as they cannot digest food as they do in hotter months.

In the wild, crocodiles normally don’t feed during winter; instead they accumulate sufficient fat, which is stored in their tails. Nutrients are absorbed which sustain them during this period.

“At least our crocodiles can look forward to an upgraded enclosure with an environment close to that of their natural space and, of course a big juicy piece of meat,” he added.

Much to the amusement of those attending the relocation of the crocodiles, the bigger ones went willingly into their warmed homes. The Central African dwarf male crocodile was more difficult.

Keepers had to place a broom with a rope to secure its mouth while others carefully caught it by the tail to haul it out the water to its winter home.