July 31
The skull of an estuarine crocodile, the country's largest, preserved at a miniature museum at Orissa's Kendrapara district continues to attract reptile researchers.
Mr Shibendu Narayan Bhanjadeo, the scion of erstwhile Kanika Zamindari that ruled the river-locked Rajkanika region for over a century, said that the 76-year-old crocodile skull is the most precious possession of the museum run by a trust.
Noted crocodile experts, including Mr Romalous Whitekar, have certified that the preserved skull is the country's largest one. In fact, a bigger crocodile skull was at Bhopal, but now it has been damaged due to unscientific preservation, he said.
Bhanjadeo possesses other wildlife trophies that include two skulls of male elephants. “I am very much aware that we cannot keep wildlife skulls at home. It is an offence under the Wildlife Protection Act. That is why part of my ancestral palace has been converted into a miniature museum and the last vestige of royal clan has been preserved with utmost care,” he quipped.
Saturday 2 August 2008
Friday 1 August 2008
Wednesday 30 July 2008
Tuesday 29 July 2008
Sorry, wrong habitat: the lost croc of Dee Why - smh.com.au
February 24 2006
FOR a creature so menacing, capturing the rogue crocodile in the northern beaches last night proved to be disarmingly simple.
Just before dusk, with nets set up strategically, Craig Adams, operations manager at the Australian Reptile Park, stripped down to his swimmers, donned goggles, and went for a paddle. Minutes later he emerged holding one saltwater crocodile, far from its comfort zone.
It is believed the croc is male and aged about three. But how it came to be in a Dee Why pond remains a mystery. The reptile park's spokeswoman, Mary Rayner, said: "It's illegal to keep crocodiles as pets so … somebody might have smuggled it into NSW and it escaped, or it got too big and it was dumped." It probably would not have survived the winter had it evaded capture, she said. Its new abode will be the reptile park at Somersby on the Central Coast.
The reptile was first spotted by a Cromer cafe owner, Silvana Morello, who said her friends thought she was mad or "had had too much to drink" when she mentioned the sighting.
While the croc was tiny, the media presence throughout the day was huge, including helicopters, camera crews and blow-by-blow analysis on talkback radio.
At one point police evicted a TV camera crew that had waded into the water to flush out the croc from beneath some lilypads at the industrial estate off South Creek Road. Sightseers, too, mobbed the pond, forcing police to seal it off.
Estimates of the reptile's size had varied wildly before its capture. "It's a friggin' lizard," said one local, Zaab Burt. "I can't believe it has kicked up all this fuss. It says more about the humans than the croc."
Ms Morello said the croc's arrival had made business brisk. "But if anyone else says 'make it snappy' I will scream."
FOR a creature so menacing, capturing the rogue crocodile in the northern beaches last night proved to be disarmingly simple.
Just before dusk, with nets set up strategically, Craig Adams, operations manager at the Australian Reptile Park, stripped down to his swimmers, donned goggles, and went for a paddle. Minutes later he emerged holding one saltwater crocodile, far from its comfort zone.
It is believed the croc is male and aged about three. But how it came to be in a Dee Why pond remains a mystery. The reptile park's spokeswoman, Mary Rayner, said: "It's illegal to keep crocodiles as pets so … somebody might have smuggled it into NSW and it escaped, or it got too big and it was dumped." It probably would not have survived the winter had it evaded capture, she said. Its new abode will be the reptile park at Somersby on the Central Coast.The reptile was first spotted by a Cromer cafe owner, Silvana Morello, who said her friends thought she was mad or "had had too much to drink" when she mentioned the sighting.
While the croc was tiny, the media presence throughout the day was huge, including helicopters, camera crews and blow-by-blow analysis on talkback radio.
At one point police evicted a TV camera crew that had waded into the water to flush out the croc from beneath some lilypads at the industrial estate off South Creek Road. Sightseers, too, mobbed the pond, forcing police to seal it off.
Estimates of the reptile's size had varied wildly before its capture. "It's a friggin' lizard," said one local, Zaab Burt. "I can't believe it has kicked up all this fuss. It says more about the humans than the croc."
Ms Morello said the croc's arrival had made business brisk. "But if anyone else says 'make it snappy' I will scream."
Monday 28 July 2008
Two heads are better then one
June 25, 2001 An official shows off a two-headed baby crocodile at Samut Prakarn Crocodile Farm on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. The three-day-old crocodile, which shares the bottom part of the body, has eight legs and two tails. It is 6.7 inches long and weighs 2.5 ounces.
Sunday 27 July 2008
Alligator and rattlesnake found by animal cruelty officers in Galashiels - dailyrecord.co.uk
July 7 2008
Animal detectives were forced to grapple with an angry five-foot alligator as they rescued the reptile from its home in Galashiels. Inspectors from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals swooped on the Selkirkshire town after a tip-off that the spectacled caiman was being kept without a licence.
It took two officers to grab the gator, nicknamed Alice. And they also had to catch a western diamondback rattlesnake they found at the same address.
The two reptiles were driven 400 miles to the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow, where they were being looked after by experts last night.
The snake is set to go to a new home at a zoo in the UK but Alice is emigrating to Spain. She is due to fly out tomorrow to the Crocodile Park in Torremolinos, home to 300 crocs from 12 species.
SSPCA spokeswoman Doreen Graham said: "We're extremely grateful to British Airways for flying the alligator to Spain.
"She will be accompanied by two officers from the SSPCA to ensure she settles well into her new home."
Areport on the raid will be sent to the procurator fiscal.
Alice is not the first gator to be rescued in Scotland and sent to Torremolinos.
SSPCA inspectors found another spectacled caiman in 2004 in the boot of its owner's car.
Owner Anthony Quinn had kept the animal in his 15th-floor tower block flat.
He was caught after trying to sell the caiman to undercover SSPCA inspectors. Quinn was fined £200 and the reptile was rehomed at the Crocodile Park.
Animal detectives were forced to grapple with an angry five-foot alligator as they rescued the reptile from its home in Galashiels. Inspectors from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals swooped on the Selkirkshire town after a tip-off that the spectacled caiman was being kept without a licence.
It took two officers to grab the gator, nicknamed Alice. And they also had to catch a western diamondback rattlesnake they found at the same address.
The two reptiles were driven 400 miles to the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow, where they were being looked after by experts last night.
The snake is set to go to a new home at a zoo in the UK but Alice is emigrating to Spain. She is due to fly out tomorrow to the Crocodile Park in Torremolinos, home to 300 crocs from 12 species.
SSPCA spokeswoman Doreen Graham said: "We're extremely grateful to British Airways for flying the alligator to Spain.
"She will be accompanied by two officers from the SSPCA to ensure she settles well into her new home."
Areport on the raid will be sent to the procurator fiscal.
Alice is not the first gator to be rescued in Scotland and sent to Torremolinos.
SSPCA inspectors found another spectacled caiman in 2004 in the boot of its owner's car.
Owner Anthony Quinn had kept the animal in his 15th-floor tower block flat.
He was caught after trying to sell the caiman to undercover SSPCA inspectors. Quinn was fined £200 and the reptile was rehomed at the Crocodile Park.
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