Crocodile has a brush with the law in Australia - telegraph.co.uk

28 July 2011

Authorities in Australia grab first tools they have to hand to keep a crocodile at bay after the reptile emerged from a drain in Cairns.

The 5-foot reptile was kept contained by road workers and police using large brooms after it crept out from a sewer in the north west Australian city.

A passing motorist first raised the alarm after spotting the crocodile as it wandered out onto a road.

"You don't see this everyday," said an unidentified local policeman as a crowd of onlookers gathered at a safe distance.

The crocodile was eventually recovered by a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Ranger who threw a towel over the creature's head before securing its mouth with a large rubber band.

This is the croc that attacked a woman - ntnews.com.au

28 July 2011

Scott Hislop photographed this saltwater crocodile in the swimming hole at Berry Springs on Sunday, two days before it attacked a woman

A SALTWATER crocodile had been lurking in a popular swimming hole for at least two days before attacking a woman.

Scott Hislop, 37, filmed the 1.5m female croc from underneath the water at Berry Springs on Sunday and even had footage of himself taken giving it the bird.

The croc was shot a few hours after biting a woman on the neck as she swam up to it despite being warned to stay clear. It was the first saltwater crocodile seen at the springs during the dry season in living memory.

Mr Hislop was swimming underwater when he looked up and saw the saltie lying on the surface under some pandanas.

"I was just about to surface when I saw it," the electrical technician said.

"We were only one metre apart. I couldn't believe it.

"I got out of there as fast as I could."

Mr Hislop, of Virginia, said he thought at first the croc was a "reasonable" size and feared for the safety of his two sons, Tain, 9, and six-year-old Jake, who were in the water nearby.

"I thought my kids were just the right size for it to take," he said.

But when he realised the saltie was only 1.5m, he and his sons swam under the croc and filmed it with an underwater video camera.

"My kids didn't believe the croc was real," he said.

The woman was recovering at her nearby home yesterday. She refused medical treatment and asked for the croc not to be harmed.

The attack was witnessed by several people.

Teal Coe, 20, of Virginia, said the woman "deserved" to be bitten because she got too close.

"I told her to stay away but she said she knew all about crocs," he said.

"She borrowed a mask and swam over to it.

Crocodile caught chilling out in Siberian lake - rt.com

27 July 2011

A two-meter reptile has joined the holiday-makers enjoying the cool waters of Shira Lake in Siberia.

The reptile was brought to the resort by a photographer who hoped to make some money by offering photo sessions with his sharp-toothed friend.

The business proved quite a success until the photographer, tired by the heat, went to have lunch. Alone, bored and hot, the photographer’s two-meter colleague could not resist the temptation to have a bath in the cold water.

At first, no one paid attention to the reptile that looked like an ordinary piece of wood drifting across the lake. But when a group of tourists in a boat tried to push “the garbage” away, it turned out to be alive.

Luckily for holiday-makers, the reptile had already had its lunch, and beach rescuers were quick to catch the animal and return it to the petrified owner. The photographer received a warning, while the rescuers were rewarded by memorable photos with the happy reptile.

The Siberian crocodile is not the first exotic creature to have fun in Russian waters. In early June, fishermen caught a couple of piranhas, native to Latin America, in the country’s south.

While locals are blaming global warming, scientists say the killer fish could have been released into the river by a disgruntled owner.

Cake showing Julia Gillard being eaten by a crocodile isn't sexist, says senator - heraldsun.com.au

27 July 2011

Senator Nigel Scullion shows off his creative skills with his entry at the Darwin show. Supplied

NORTHERN Territory Senator Nigel Scullion has defended himself against claims of male chauvinism after he won a cake-making challenge that showed Prime Minister Julia Gillard being eaten by a crocodile.

Mr Scullion, the Deputy Nationals leader, was also criticised for talking politics during his victory speech at the Darwin show yesterday.

He said his fruit cake with marzipan icing was not a sexist attack, The Northern territory News reports.

"The croc wasn't eating Julia - she was just taking her new pet, Porosus Carbontaxiae, for a walk," he said.

"I matched her emerald shoes with her lime tunic and got her hair just right. Everybody thought it was very tasteful."

However, one witness said: "It was a political rant about the carbon tax. Everybody was squirming."

Labor Senator Trish Crossin said her rival had a "bizarre" sense of humour.

She said his political speech at the community baking contest was "inappropriate" and the theme of his cake offensive.

"I didn't think much of John Howard but I would never have dreamt of having him eaten by a croc," she said.

Senator Crossin said Senator Scullion did well at cake-baking competitions because he added a lot of alcohol in the mixture.

She said some of Ms Gillard's opponents were chauvinists.

"Much of the criticism comes from people who are still intimidated by the fact that the country is run by a woman," she said.

Senator Crossin said Ms Gillard would not be perturbed by Senator Scullion's croc cake.

"She's too tough and skilful for any old crocodile."

A spokesman for Labor leader Gillard told the ABC that Ms Gillard "disappointed Senator Scullion didn't save her a slice".