50-inch alligator tail lands Orlando man in jail - palmbeachpost.com

30 March 2011

An Orlando man accused Tuesday of illegally cutting off a 50-inch alligator tail told deputies he hacked it with a knife kept in his Taco Bell pants.

Jason Arnold Brewer told an Orange County sheriff's deputy he knocked out the gator with a piece of wood and tossed the rest of the reptile's body in the weeds along the St. Johns River.

The 30-year-old man now faces felony charges of killing an American Alligator without authority and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The report from the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows Dep. Kris Brooks spotted Brewer's truck speeding westbound on State Road 50, near Tanner Road, sometime around 3:29 p.m.

Brooks also noticed he had a broken brake light and stopped him at S.R. 50 and Sherman Road.

While checking Brewer's license, the deputy noticed the alligator tail on the floorboard and bags of ice, the report shows.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records show alligator hunting season runs from Aug. 15 to Nov. 1.

Brooks knew it was not alligator hunting season and didn't see the required tags that trappers pin on the animals when they are legally captured.

The deputy asked Brewer if he was a licensed trapper and he said no. The deputy also asked if he carried a weapon and he said there was a pistol under the center console.

After reading Brewer his Miranda rights, he told the deputy he had earlier parked at the St. Johns River near State Road 50, according to his arrest report. Brewer spotted a gator along the river bank and struck it in the head with a large piece of wood.

The blow stunned the gator, allowing Brewer to pull it from the water and cut off its tail. Brewer said he tossed the gator's body in the weeds. He told Brooks the knife he used was "in my Taco Bell pants," the report shows. It's unclear if Brewer works for the fast-food restaurant.

Brewer said he went to a nearby convenience store and bought bags of ice to keep the alligator tail fresh.

The deputy recovered the knife from Brewer's pants.

Brooks confiscated the alligator tail and firearm. The report shows the tail was taken to the Sheriff's Office evidence building, where it was documented and frozen.

Boy killed by crocodile in Limpopo- news24.com

29 March 2011

Thohoyandou - Limpopo police are still searching for the body of 12-year-old Mpho Mugwena, who was killed by a crocodile.

A crocodile caught Mugwena while he was swimming in the Mutshindudi Rriver in Tshivhilwi village outside Thohoyandou on Saturday afternoon.

“The boy went to fetch water in the river with two friends of the same age and, as it was hot, they got into the river for a swim where the crocodile caught him,” said Limpopo police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mohale Ramatseba.

Mugwena's friends raised the alarm and police divers were immediately dispatched to the scene.

“When police divers assessed the situation it was found to be too dangerous for them because of the presence of crocodiles,” he said.

Responding to criticism that police were taking too long to retrieve the boy's body, Ramatseba said: “The police are always prepared to risk their lives in threatening rescue operations, but some situations like crocodile-infested rivers make it impossible for (us to act)."

He also said police divers were using a boat to scour the river for Mugwena's body.

In the interim, he warned villagers not to fetch water, swim, or play in rivers where crocodiles are present.

'We're carrying on in his footsteps': Bindi Irwin and mother Terri joined by kangaroo as they remember Steve - dailymail.co.uk

March 29 2011

Bindi Irwin and her mother Terri pose with an adorable kangaroo during

an

interview on U.S. TV show Good Morning America.

The 12-year-old, the daughter of late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, was promoting a new line

of books in her Wildlife Adventures series. Speaking of her

father, the young actress said: 'We want to carry on in his footsteps, where he left off.'

Steve was killed in September

2006 after getting stung by a stingray while filming in Australia's

Great Barrier Reef. He was

setting up to shoot ocean reef

footage at the time for a show

that would

include segments with Bindi.

At his funeral, she delivered a

speech in front of 5,000 people in a worldwide television broadcast watched by more than 300million viewers.

Meanwhile, Steve's widow Terri has been forced to sell off parts of their multi-million property empire. The Queensland floods impacted badly on tourism, which affected the Irwins' Australia Zoo.

Mother of two Terri, 46, who also has a young song Robert, also admitted a wet summer affected visitor numbers and forced job cuts.

Terri Irwin sells properties as Australia Zoo struggles - news.com.au

27 Mar 2011

Steve Irwin's widow Terri has been quietly selling off Australian properties from a multimillion-dollar portfolio amassed by the star couple, The (Brisbane) Sunday Mail reported.

In a sign Australia Zoo has hit hard times, the widow of "The Crocodile Hunter" star has placed several properties on the Sunshine Coast -- a coastal region in Queensland about 62 miles (100km) south of Brisbane -- on the market.

A number of zoo exhibits are on hold or delayed.

Ms Irwin has admitted a horrific wet summer drastically hit visitor numbers and forced job cuts at the major tourist destination on the Sunshine Coast region of Beerwah.

An investigation revealed the 46-year-old American-born Ms Irwin has been trying to offload properties since late last year, many at a loss.

Four of them directly border the zoo in Beerwah, and were originally purchased back when expansion plans were at full throttle.

A sprawling 234-acre (95-hectare) parcel at Peachester, with views of the Glass House Mountains in the coastal region, is the largest for sale with a $1.25 million price tag.

Ms Irwin has also sold a $1.3 million luxury property, at a $380,000 loss, next to the family's $3.22 million home at Minyama, the Sunshine Coast's millionaire's row.

At the time of his death in 2006, Steve Irwin and Terri had amassed a property portfolio estimated at $20 million.

(The cynical side of me says... 'I'm not surprised...' I never felt she had the same vision as Steve.)

Crocodiles escape flooded Thai zoo - heraldsun.com.au

28 Mar 2011

THAI authorities are hunting for a runaway crocodile from a local zoo, one of three that escaped during heavy flooding in the country's south.

Two have already been caught after they escaped in Nakhon Si Thammarat province which has been hard hit by recent downpours, zoo veterinarian Nopparat Inthongkam said.

He said today local authorities had teamed up to catch the last reptile.

Serious floods in the region have killed four people and affected tens of thousands more, causing about $US10 million of damage, officials said.

Emergency disaster zones have been declared in 34 districts across five provinces since heavy downpours began.

Crocodile Found Swimming In Pool At Home - myfoxtwincities.com

27 Mar 2011

DARWIN, Australia -- A seven-foot (two-meter) crocodile has been found swimming in the pool of a home in the far north Australian city of Darwin, the Northern Territory News reported Sunday.

But mystery surrounds how the freshwater crocodile -- named "Sammy Fetchen" -- got into the pool, which was fully fenced off.

Matt Lynch, 22, said he thought someone had put a fake crocodile in the pool of his home at Larrakeyah.

"Then we poked it with a pole," he said. "And it was real."

Resident Josh Jeffries, 20, said he was going to start charging Sammy rent to reside in their saltwater pool.

"I want to keep him as a pet," he said.

Jeffries said the crocodile must have got into the pool some time between 4 am and 9 am.

"Two girls went swimming at 4 am ... and they don't think the croc was in there," he said. "(But) where would it have come from?"

Scott Forsyth, 25, said: "I reckon it jumped off the balcony."

But crocodile catcher Joey Buckerfield said the reptile had most likely burrowed under the fence because his scales were damaged.