Worry over cruel croc shows

Animal activists are raising concerns over the cruelty against crocodiles during public shows at a farm here besides it being a risk to workers there.

“During the shows, the crocodile is cruelly prodded with sticks so that a staff member can later lie on it and another puts his arm inside its mouth,” Friends of Orang Utan (Malaysia) director Upreshpal Singh said.

He said their investigation team learned from one of the farm worker that he was once injured during a performance.

“Do we want to wait for another incident like the one which happened in Sandakan?” he asked, referring to a 35-year-old worker who was mauled by a 800kg crocodile that he was feeding at a crocodile farm in Sandakan in February 2017.

Friends of Orang Utan said that such shows should be stopped before something serious happened.

The NGO, which has been monitoring conditions of zoos and mini-zoos in Malaysia, also noted that the condition in the crocodile farm in question had remained unchanged for over five years.

They believe that many other animals like macaques, ostriches, otters and birds among others had died there and yet it would be receiving more animals, pending approval from the Sabah Wildlife Department.

The department, Upreshpal said, should put a stop to this.

He said the state government should also shut down a mini-zoo in Sandakan which has been an eyesore and a bane to animals.

The animals, he claimed, were kept in tiny or barren enclosures or cages.

During an animal show at the mini zoo, the NGO found a macaque chained around its neck and paraded before the crowd and made to perform tricks including riding a stationary bike.

California Bans Alligator and Crocodile Skin Sales

We’re thrilled to announce a huge victory for alligators and crocodiles, thanks to California residents and legislators who just saved a law aimed at protecting them.

California technically banned alligator- and crocodile-skin sales back in 1970, but the exotic-skins industry has been fighting the ban ever since to keep it from going into effect. Just this year, these special interests—which included the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries—tried to push through three assembly bills, the most recent being Assembly Bill 1561, which would have continued delaying the ban. But PETA, Social Compassion in Legislation, and other groups sent out action alerts to our supporters, blasted tweets, garnered celebrity support, enlisted reptile experts to weigh in, and got animal advocates out in full force to protect this vital legislation.

We—and the animals—won! California’s long-awaited ban will go into effect on January 1, 2020. Thank you to everyone who made this historic victory happen!

PETA exposés of the exotic-skins industry have revealed appalling abuse at every turn. On an alligator factory farm in Texas, PETA’s eyewitness found that the animals were kept in fetid water in dank, dark sheds. Alligators were still kicking and flailing after workers tried to kill them. Another PETA exposé revealed that workers electroshocked crocodiles and then attempted to kill them by cutting into their necks and ramming metal rods down their spines while the animals writhed.

But there is growing momentum against the use of these animals’ skins. Major designers and retailers—including Arcadia Group (which owns Topshop), Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, H&M, L Brands (which owns Victoria’s Secret), Nike, PUMA, bebe, Stella McCartney, and Victoria Beckham—are exotic skin–free.

Tell Hermès and Prada that the time for using and abusing these animals is over. They can’t hawk their skins in California anymore, and it’s time they stopped selling them elsewhere, too.

Nile crocodiles in Israel

The men and women of the Bible were familiar with the crocodile from the Nile (Crocodylus niloticus), was common not only in Egypt, but also in Israel. In fact, we know that this huge reptile lived in Biblical lands because bone remains have been found in caves on Mount Carmel. Near Caesarea there is a stream which flows into the Mediterranean, and is known as “the crocodile stream”, or Nájal Taniním, where these reptiles could be seen right up until the start of the 20th century. The last time a crocodile was spotted in this place was 1912, and its remains are conserved in the zoological collection of a Catholic bishop, popularly known as “Father Schmitz”, just north of the Damascus Gate in the old city of Jerusalem. Thus we know that there were indeed there were Nilotic crocodiles in the Holy Land.

In ancient Egypt, they were regarded as sacred animals, capable of predicting the future of mortals, and there were even special places for their veneration in cities such as Kom Ombo, Thebes among others. The Pharaohs often had crocodiles in captivity in suitably adapted spaces in their palaces, as they were believed to be divine beings and formed part of the cast of Egypt’s mythological entities. When crocodiles died, they were mummified like the Pharaohs themselves. One of these gods, Sobek, was represented as a man with a crocodile’s head, associated with the fertility, the protection and the power of the Pharaoh.

The Nile crocodile is not exclusive to this river, as it can also be found in rivers and lakes in tropical Africa, and on the island of Madagascar. It is a sauropsida reptile, belonging to the Crocodylidae family, and can measure up to six metres long and weigh about 900 kg. Its reputation for devouring human beings is, in fact, well-deserved, as it is estimated that around 200 people are eaten by crocodiles every year. They don’t discriminate between a gazelle drinking water at the riverside and a person washing their clothes. However, their diet is usually made up of fish, zebras, nus, small hippopotami, carrion and smaller crocodiles. They can consume up to half their weight at once. Unlike other reptiles which leave their nests after laying their eggs, crocodiles and attentive and caring parents. They protect their nests fiercely and, after the eggs are hatched, they carry their new-born to the water in their mouths.

They hunt by hiding under the surface of the water, near the water’s edge, and wait patiently for animals to approach to drink. In a flash they then leap out, grab their prey and drag it into the water to drown it. They use their numerous teeth are not to chew their victim, but to hold it in their mouths. Then they turn round on their own body until they can tear off a large chunk of flesh. This behaviour is known as “the twist of death”. In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were also associated with Seth, the god of evil. Hence, even today some people groups, such as the Nubian fishermen, place stuffed crocodiles at the entrance of their homes with the superstitious intention of warding off evil spirits.

This text refers, among other animals, to crocodiles, and includes them in the list of unclean animals which the Israelites were forbit to eat. As we have seen, some of these animals were divinised by the surrounding cultures, so there were undoubtedly also religious reasons for this prohibition. Nevertheless, now we know that there were important sanitary reasons behind it. At that time people could not have known why it was dangerous to eat reptile flesh. Now, however, it is known to be potentially toxic. Consuming the flesh of reptiles – such as crocodiles, lizards or snakes – can cause a range of diseases and health problems, including trichinosis,pentastomiasis, gnatostomiasis, esparganosis, among others, since they contain pathogenic bacteria, especially Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, Campylobacter, Clostridium and Staphylococcus.

For that reason, health authorities recommend that this type of meat be frozen before being eaten, and that it never be eaten raw, so as to avoid possible risks to one’s health. The Scriptures embody wisdom which greatly surpasses the human knowledge of the period when they were written. A crocodile can weigh, as we have seen, up to 900 kg, however, its brain is no bigger than a human thumb. Despite this, they are animals that have adapted so well to their environment that they have never been in danger of extinction.

2nd freshwater crocodile spotted in 50 years

For over a century now, freshwater crocodiles were believed to be extinct from the country. However, in the past 50 years two such crocodiles were spotted, the most recent one being at Char Komorpur in Pabna.

The crocodile has taken shelter in a disconnected lagoon of the Padma river for over a week at the char, near Komorpur village.

Locals in the area said since the water level has receded, the lagoon was disconnected from the main channel of the river.

This was the second freshwater crocodile seen in a river in the last 50 years as it was believed to be extinct from the country's rivers for a century, the forest department said.

Locals said the huge crocodile was seen in the water near the river bank a week ago. While some villagers made attempts to kill the animal out of fear, others protested.Jamal Hossain, a resident of Komorpur village, said, “I saw the animal a week ago when I went to fish in the river. I panicked and ran away to inform the villagers. They tried to kill it but I stopped them.”

The fear of the crocodile has stopped locals from going to the river. They have demanded that the animal be rescued from the spot and relocated but forest department officials have refused to do so for the sake of the reptile's safety.

About six to seven feet long, a part of the crocodile's face can sometimes be seen above the water. It eats fish in the river or foxes that roam near the banks, locals said.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Md Mahabubur Rahman, divisional forest officer in Pabna, said that forest department and wild life department officials visited the spot and together took the decision to let the crocodile stay where it was.

“This is a big crocodile and the lagoon near the river is safe for the animal. The crocodile takes shelter in the deepest portion of the water body about one kilometer away from the locality. There is also enough food for it in the spot,” Mahabub said.

Asked about why the crocodile may have come to this spot, the forest officer said it was possibly for the sake of food and safe shelter.

“We do not have any freshwater crocodile in our river system. Another freshwater crocodile was seen a few years ago in the Madhumati river. This one has probably come to Bangladesh from India through Padma river,” said Zahidul Karim, a wildlife conservationist.

Zahidul added he would hold talks with the local authorities concerned so that the animal is not harmed until the lagoon is connected to the river's main channel again and it can leave on its own.

Rare American crocodiles living on Sanibel

Florida golfers know alligators all too well, but they don't often encounter rare American crocodiles.

That's changing on a local barrier island, where an adult croc has recently been photographed sunning itself alongside alligators at the Sanibel Island Golf Club.

"The crocodile is here all the time, she hangs out on hole No. 11, and she’s a female," said Mary Donnelly, wife of course owner Drew Donnelly. "Don't ask me how they know it's a female. And the maintenance guys call her Fred."

Crocodiles have been documented on Sanibel before, and a few have even been found in the Cape Coral area.

What's the difference?: How to tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator

Their ranges overlaps in extreme southern Florida, along the coasts and in Florida Bay.

Seeing one is unique, but capturing both species in one photo is akin to winning a scratch-off lottery.

"I hadn’t seen it until that picture, but I know a guy who walked up and the croc was laying there with its head on the alligator’s tale," Drew Donnelly added. "But he didn’t get a picture."

University of Florida researcher and crocodile expert Frank Mazzotti said a few crocodiles have made it as far north as Tampa.

Nests have been documented on Sanibel, but none of the eggs hatched.

"Before that horrible freeze in 2010 we had a crocodile that spent much of its time in the (J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife) Refuge and it used to nest in people's yards," Mazzotti said. "That animal nested over a number of years but there was never any evidence that the eggs were fertile."

Mazzotti said there are fewer than 2,000 American crocodiles, which is up from a population that only had 20 recorded nests per year during the 1970s.

Today, there are more than 150 nests in an average year, he said.

Mazzotti said both American alligators and crocodiles are relatively docile among the crocodilian world, which includes the 20-foot varieties found in Africa and Australia.

"Alligators are a wee bit more aggressive," Mazzotti admitted. "You can tell that when you catch them. Alligators put up a little more of a struggle than crocodiles."

Who wins in a fight?

"An old newspaper article written in the 1920s described a bunch of Everglades City boys with a big alligator and some Key Largo boys that had a big croc," Mazzotti said. "And the story is they pitted them against each other and the alligator ended up winning because it had a larger jaw."

Endangered Colombian crocodiles get a helping hand

The future of a critically endangered crocodile in Colombia just got a little brighter, thanks to a reintroduction program that resulted in the release of more than 40 of the reptiles in the past year.

Twenty Orinoco crocodiles (Crocodylus intermedius) were reintroduced into El Tuparro Natural National Park this month, a site where an additional 21 crocodiles were released back in May 2015, the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement. All the crocodiles will be carrying radio transmitters to track their movements and monitor their adaptation to their natural environment.

Dubbed “Crocodile Lagoon” the area of the relocation on the right bank of the Tomo River was picked to ensure these crocs survive. Previous surveys have found the presence of large predators and abundant wildlife in the area including jaguars, pumas, river otters, tapirs and curassows as well as plenty of fish.

This reintroduction is part of the Proyecto Vida Silvestre, a program launched in 2014 to protect 10 wildlife species in Colombia’s Llanos Orientales and Magdalena Medio regions. Proyecto Vida Silvestre is led by WCS Colombia and supported by Ecopetrol and the Fundación Mario Santo Domingo.

The Orinoco crocodile population plummeted in the latter part of the 20th century, mostly due to commercial hunting for its skin.

Growing up to 17 feet in length, the Orinoco crocodile is one of the largest crocodilian species in the world. It lives exclusively in the lowlands of the Orinoco basin that straddles both Colombia and Venezuela, and reproduces once a year.

WCS says that approximately 200 Orinoco crocodiles are thought to exist in the wild in Colombia. There are more Orinoco crocodiles in Venezuela, according to the organization, which does not have an estimate of the numbers there.

Multiple fathers for reintroduced endangered Orinoco crocodile egg clutches

The Orinoco crocodile, Crocodylus intermedius, is one of the most threatened crocodile species in the world. There are now just a few wild populations remaining in Venezuela and Colombia. Excessive hunting until the 1960s and egg collecting for their local consumption decimated their numbers, and now new conservation efforts are aiming to revive their dwindling population numbers.

One such effort involved the reintroduction of one population by an international team of researchers led by Natalia Rossi Lafferriere from Columbia University, and can be found at the La Ramera lagoon at the El Frío Biological Station, Venezuela. I can’t imagine a better job than rearing endangered crocodile eggs for the purpose of reintroducing them into the wild when they were ready!

But how do you work out if reintroducing endangered species like this is a successful venture or not?

To test this, the team sampled 20 egg clutches (335 hatchling micro-crocodiles) for incubation in their laboratories, and were able to conduct genetic analysis on them in order to test to see who their fathers were. This is important as you can get a measure of genetic diversity within populations, which is a vital factor in whether or not populations have the capacity to survive. It’s probably also important to do this via genomic analysis rather than observation for what I’d think were obvious reasons.

What did they find?

Perhaps unexpectedly for humans, but quite expected for wild animals, the research team discovered that half of the egg clutches were actually fathered by more than one male! Of the 14 fathers inferred from genetic analysis, they found that only 6 contributed to a whipping 90% of the total offspring. Even more bizarrely, 3 of these 6 males fathered more than 70% of the total number of offspring. Full points for productivity to those chaps!

The evolution of females mating with multiple mating is known as polyandry, and can be achieved either through mating with multiple individuals during the same reproductive season, or actually storing sperm in the reproductive tract for later fertilisation.

This activity has rarely been observed in captive population of crocodiles, but has been documented in the wild for American alligators and the spectacled caiman, suggesting that multiple mating systems might be widespread in crocodilians and an important factor in their survival. These beasties and their ancestors have been around since a time around the origin of dinosaurs, after all!

These new results reveal the first evidence for multiple paternity in a reintroduced Orinoco crocodile population, and therefore supports the success of reintroduction efforts for this species.

Why is this important?

More than half of the living species of crocodilian are endangered, thanks to threats to habitat change, human disruption, and ongoing environmental changes. By gaining an insight into their reproductive behaviour, we can learn more about how to reintroduce these animals into the wild into sustainable populations.

In this case, multiple paternity might be important part of mating systems for increasing the overall genetic diversity in populations, as well as the total size of populations. These factors are often critical in maintaining flexibility and diversity in populations, and they play an important role in survivability at a population level, something that is becoming increasingly crucial for these endangered animals.

Other benefits of this can include sharing resources with mothers to ensure greater offspring survival, and greater selection of ‘higher quality’ mates, which is important for that well known concept of survival of the fittest. Darwin would be proud!

Successful reproduction is a vital and necessary first step in the recovery of the Orinoco crocodile. This is an excellent example of a successful reintroduction effort of a critically endangered species, and hopefully a sign that we can reverse the effects that led to their endangerment before it’s too late.

Continued conservation action will be important to mitigate ongoing threats to the Orinoco crocodile. This includes banning poaching, protecting their habitats, and will require a combined effort from governmental conservation authorities in order to create sustainable initiatives.

All is well that ends well too, and all crocodiles were released back into the wild as juveniles. Life, er, finds a way!

Earliest example of animal nest sharing revealed by scientists

An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Southampton, has shown that fossilised eggshells unearthed in western Romania represent the earliest known nest site shared by multiple animals.

The shells -- some complete and others broken into thousands of pieces -- are densely packed and encased in mudstone which formed part of the remains of a bird breeding colony, probably comprising hundreds of seperate nests.

Now in the collections of the Transylvanian Museum Society in Cluj Napoca, Romania, the samples date from the late-Cretaceous period (approx. 70 million years ago) and were discovered near the city of Sebeş in Transylvania by local palaeontologist Mátyás Vremir about nine years ago.

Led by Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche in Argentina, the scientists examined sophisticated electron microscope images of the unique, fossilised material from the site. They established it contains four different types of egg shell, indicating that four types of animals all shared the same nesting site; extinct birds within a group known as enantiornithes, birds of undetermined classification, gecko-like lizards and smaller predecessors of today's crocodiles.

Christian Laurent, Tizard Scholar and member of the Aerodynamics and Flight Mechanics Group at the University of Southampton, comments: "We know very little about the parental behaviour of Mesozic birds, We know they had nests, laid eggs and hatched young which were relatively mature and able to move around after hatching -- but evidence is scant beyond this. This research suggests they were tolerant of creating their nests, not only alongside other birds, but also reptiles."

The team, which also includes researchers from the University of Jinan (China), the Transylvanian Museum Society (Romania), the Royal British Columbia Museum (Canada), the University of Debrecen (Hungary), and Pavol Jozef Safarik University (Slovak Republic), has published its findings in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.

Their paper speculates that an area of plain created by seasonal flooding offered the enantiornithes safety from predators. It's also believed that their nest environments afforded shelter to smaller reptiles which benefitted from the security of the birds guarding their own nests. The researchers suggest that the lizard and crocodile type animals were not perceived as a threat to the bird eggs and nestlings -- possibly because they were much smaller than the adult birds and so not a predatory threat to them or their hatchlings. To date, this is the oldest example of this kind of ecological strategy.

Christian Laurent adds: "Evidence supporting our theory can still be seen today in Argentina, where lizards (Salvator merianae) co-habit and lay eggs inside the nests of the caiman crocodile -- safe in the knowledge that the female doesn't feed during the incubation of her eggs and poses no threat to the hatchling lizards."

Gatorama hosts CrocFest to help save species

Gatorama will host the International CrocFest this Saturday, Dec. 8, for the first time, and three “superstars of crocodilian conservation” will attend the semiannual fundraising event. It's also the first time the three will appear together to discuss the state of conservation efforts for the species.

The event, which had its start in 2010 as “Barbecue for the Crocs” at Crocodile Creek Bio-Center in Bushnell, is a fundraiser conducted by the CrocFest organization to benefit specific endangered crocodile species and individual researchers working on programs to conserve them.

The 2018 Winter CrocFest's beneficiary species is the gharial, a critically endangered, fish-eating and very territorial member of the crocodile family on the Indian subcontinent (Gavialis gangeticus is its scientific name), which is losing population. All proceeds will benefit the Gharial Ecology Project, the Gharial Conservation Alliance and many scientists in India who are studying the complex social structure exhibited by this subspecies. Adult male gharial, which can weigh up to 550 pounds, breed all adult females in their domain, which then nest communally.

CrocFest draws people from all over the world — crocodile keepers, private collectors, zoo board members, researchers, biologists, champions of conservation and people who love crocodilians (which include animals other than crocodiles, such as caimans). The event will be capped off by a lively auction of unique art, artifacts, collector items, zoological supplies and small reptiles. A dinner is served and an open bar is included along with the fun of “Gatorventures” at Gatorama.

The “trifecta of the crocodile world,” as Gatorama owner Patty Register described them, consists of prominent Australian educator and conservationist Grahame Webb, chairman of the Species Survival Commission for the International Union for Conservation of Nature; Rom Whitaker, an American Indian herpetologist and conservationist who founded the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust; and Jeffrey Lang, biology professor emeritus at the University of North Dakota and senior scientific adviser to the Gharial Ecology Project.

Mrs. Register, who operates the attraction on U.S. 27 with husband Allen, a state-licensed alligator trapper and farmer, said Gatorama actually will be closed for the day Saturday for the fundraiser but that anyone is welcome to join in the event.

“It promises to be the best CrocFest yet, and hopefully will raise more money than we have ever raised for crocodile conservation,” she said. The trio will give presentations about their work, and there will be a lot of social interaction and networking among the educators, experts and others expected to attend.

The park will be open from noon until 8 p.m., and the donation to crocodile conservation covers everything. “We'll be operating just like another day,” Mrs. Register said. “All the (usual) activities are available, but that $25 is a donation directly to CrocFest that covers admission, dinner and an open bar. And then there's an auction, which has all kinds of different items. It's turning out to be a real artsy one.”

It's like losing a part of your heart

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin passed away when he was attacked by a stingray while filming “Ocean's Deadliest” in 2006 at age 44, leaving behind two children. His daughter Bindi, who was just 8 years old at the time, admitted she is still coping with the tragic loss.

“I remember people coming up to me and saying, ‘I'm sorry for your loss, sweetheart. Time heals all wounds.' But that's just not true,” the 20-year-old recently told People magazine, which hit newsstands Wednesday.

“It's like losing a part of your heart, and when you've lost that, you never get it back,” she shared.

Irwin, who achieved international stardom for his televised death-defying stunts involving crocodiles, was at the Great Barrier Reef off Australia's northeast coast where his documentary was taking place at the time of his death.

According to witnesses on his boat Croc One, as well as one nearby diving vessel, a stingray's barb pierced Irwin's chest and lodged in his heart after he came close to it.

The family is determined to keep the legacy of their beloved patriarch alive.

Bindi, her younger brother Robert, 15, and their mother Terri, 54, have worked together to spread the message of their conservation nonprofit Wildlife Warriors throughout the world. They also launched a series on Animal Planet titled “Crickey! It's the Irwins,” which follows their lives as they work at the Australia Zoo.

“I'm sure hope dad would be proud,” said Bindi. “We really do try every day to make him proud and follow in his footsteps. I hope that somewhere he's out there going, ‘Yes! You did good!'”

Robert, who was just 2 years old when he lost his father, said he and his sibling have zero regrets in continuing Irwin's environmental mission.

“No matter where we go, or what we do, we'll always come back here,” said Robert. “This is our passion. It's a part of us and Australia Zoo will always be home.”

Palawan police recover body of fisherman attacked by crocodile

Authorities recovered Wednesday, November 28, the mutilated body of a fishermen who was believed to have been attacked by a crocodile in Balabac, an island town in the southernmost part of Palawan.

Police identified the body as that of 33-year-old Cornelio Bonete, a resident of Barangay Poblacion 5 whom relatives reported missing since Tuesday, November 27.

Senior Inspector Francis Rey Manito, Balabac police chief, told Rappler over the phone that the mutilated body of Bonete was found 4 p.m. Wednesday in Sitio Bual, Barangay Malaking Ilog.

Manito said Bonete's right arm and left foot were both severed from his body, while the right foot was broken. There were also multiple wounds all over Bonete's body, said Manito, most probably caused by crocodile bites.

Police authorities, along with Balabac mayor Al-hazni Astami, retrieved the body, Manito added.

Bonete, a resident of Barangay Poblacion 5, was last seen early Tuesday, November 27. His family said he did not return home since after he attended to his fishing boat.

Earlier, a local radio station broadcast an unverified report that the mutilated body of Bonete was found in Barangay Salang, some 6 kilometers from where he was last seen.

Balabac is known for recurrent human-crocodile conflicts, being the stronghold of saltwater crocodiles in the Philippines. Last month, a 16-year-old high school student survived a crocodile attack also in Barangay Poblacion 5.

Crocodile expert Rainier Manalo reminded Balabac residents to be wary as November starts the crocodiles' breeding or mating season. He said it lasts until February, while their egg-laying season falls in March until August.

“During this time crocodiles are very active and highly protective in their territories,” Manalo, executive director of Davao-based non-profit Crocodylus Porosus Philippines Inc, told Rappler in a text message.

Manalo's group has been continuously studying years of human-crocodile conflict in Balabac. They attribute the crocodile attacks to the increase in habitat loss due to mangrove conversion and debarking in major areas in town.

“Human-crocodile conflict is not easily prevented if there's an increasing habitat destruction,” he said.

The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), an environment agency tasked to implement R.A. 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, said its communication team held a crocodile awareness campaign in town recently.

“The only way to avoid [the human-crocodile conflict] is mitigation. Meaning, people should always be aware that crocodiles are present in their area and take responsibility, being diligent enough to avoid an encounter with crocodiles,” PCSD spokesman Jovic Fabello told Rappler in a separate interview.

Fabello added the presence of crocodiles in town is a “common knowledge to the residents and it saddens us an incident like this still happened.”

The Balabac municipal government previously told Rappler that its staff had also conducted information drives in affected barangays of Catagupan, Rabor, Poblacion and Agutayan, and also installed warning signs reminding vulnerable residents to stay away from river swamps identified as crocodiles' habitat.

Hippos Save a Wildebeest From Crocodile's Jaws

Watering holes are often exciting places to watch animals interact, and new video from Kruger National Park in South Africa doesn't disappoint.

While touring the massive park, a couple happened upon a wildebeest that had just been bitten by a crocodile. It's likely the herbivore had approached the water for a drink when it was ambushed from below. The wildebeest struggled to free itself but the crocodile kept a firm grip on the slender leg in its powerful jaws.

For nearly eight minutes, the wildebeest and crocodile were engaged in a ferocious game of tug-of-war, and eventually the wildebeest appeared to tire.

Slowly the crocodile began to drag the wildebeest under water. Crocodiles, with their long, heavy bodies and stubby legs, have the biggest advantage over large prey like wildebeest when submerged.

As the wildebeest becomes more and more overwhelmed by the water and the crocodile's persistent pull, two hippopotamuses approach from offscreen. Suddenly, they charge toward the crocodile, causing it to lose its grip on the wildebeest. The mammal broke free. But with a likely broken leg, it may not survive long.

So did the hippos rush in to "save" a wildebeest in need?

Not likely, says Douglas McCauley, a National Geographic explorer and professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Despite the fact that they're herbivores too, hippos can be extremely aggressive. Earlier this month, a sleeping hippo in Kenya was startled by a lion and snapped the big cat's neck.

McCauley offered two theories for why the hippos, likely sub-dominant males, incidentally "freed" the wildebeest.

The first is that the crocodile had encroached too closely on the hippos' territory. Hippos and crocodiles, which both frequent watering holes, generally are wary of each other. Hippos are too big and powerful for crocodiles to eat and hippos generally confine their prey to vegetation. But when a crocodile gets within about two meters (six feet) of a hippo, the territorial mammals may snap or charge, says McCauley.

McCauley's second hypothesis, the one he says is more likely in this case, is that the wildebeest's splashing prompted the hippos to stake their territory.

"My best guess is that the hippos are acting very aggressive toward anything that tries to enter the water. They'll come charging in and try to drive you away," he explained. (Watch what happens when a hippo attacks a boat.)

In other words, while the hippos appear to be "rescuing" the wildebeest in the video, it's more likely they were aggressively claiming their territory.

So even though the video doesn't necessarily show a case of hippo altruism, McCauley says it's a great example of how animals co-habituate and share space in the wild.

The Strange, Grisly World of Crocodile Hunting in Australia

THERE ARE MORE than 100,000 saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia. They grow more 20 feet long, weigh over 1000 pounds, and bite with a force exceeding the weight of a small car. And yet there are a group of people crazy enough to hunt them. They cruise around in boats at night with nothing more than a big light, a big harpoon, and a gun, searching for pairs of glowing eyes peeking just above the water.

"It's somewhat unnerving," says photographer Trevor Frost. "It's not like I think the crocodile is going to jump out of the water and eat me on the boat. But it's eerie. Eyes are everywhere."

Frost tagged along on 11 hunts for his ongoing series Cult of the Crocodile. The project captures all aspects of the croc-human relationship, from a breeding farm producing highest-quality skins to delighted tourists gawking at crocodiles gobbling up chicken meat. "Here's this creature that's been around for millions of years unchanged," he says. "It can kill people. Some people love it. Some people hate it. And there's this entire industry around it."

Nicknamed "salties," the Australian crocodile lurks in warm rivers, lagoons and billabongs, chomping down on large beasts like pigs, water buffalo, and even sharks. But in the 1960s, the crocodile disappeared almost completely due to over hunting. The government banned killing them in 1971, and the population quickly bounced back. Today, a crocodile management program provides "incentives-based" conservation, allowing for a regulated $100 million commercial industry that includes collecting wild eggs, breeding, and about 1,200 hunting permits a year. Hunters must describe the crocodile they want to kill, then film the death so authorities can verify it was cruelty-free. Many crocodiles are killed due to complaints from locals about them wandering too close to neighborhoods or eating their cattle.

Frost lives in Richmond, Virgina and became fascinated with crocodiles when he visited Australia in 2013 on assignment. He met hunter Aaron Rodwell while purchasing a souvenir crocodile tooth, and Rodwell eagerly showed Frost a cell phone video of him wrangling a croc with his bare hands. Frost was hooked. "The hunters are exposing themselves to a serious amount of risk in order to get a crocodile, and it could go either way," he says. "The crocodile could get one of them. Or they could get the crocodile."

He shadowed Rodwell and his partner Roger Matthews on hunts over the next three years. The men set sail in a small aluminum boat at night, beaming a spotlight into the water to pick up the creature's eyes. They then quietly sidle up beside it and thrust a harpoon in its neck, letting the croc thrash and hiss in the water up to several hours until it tires out. They then lasso its jaw shut, hoist it onto the boat, and execute it with a .22 revolver. There were some close calls. Once, Frost was shooting when a 16-foot croc chomped down on the side of the boat and shook it violently. "When you hear, ‘Get the fuck down!' that's when it's scary," he says. "Afterwards your heart is beating a thousand miles an hour."

The cinematic images are fascinating, strange, and often downright grisly. In one photo, a man sits in a hot tub with baby crocs he keeps as pets. In another, Rodwell and Matthews pose proudly with a crocodile strung up in a tree. It's something you don't see every day, but not so unusual in a land of 100,000 crocs.

Komodo dragon wows visitors at Crocodile Bank

It is two weeks since a Komodo dragon began to be displayed prominently at a special enclosure at The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology in Mamallapuram. The reptile is one of four that arrived at the crocodile bank last April. These four reptiles had been flown down from Bronx Zoo in New York.

"The New York zoo gave them in exchange of 12 juvenile gharials from the Crocodile Bank. At that time, the Komodo dragons were three-year-olds. Unable to adapt to the new conditions, especially the Chennai heat, one of them died. We had provided them with temperature gradient. They needed time to acclimatise to their new environment and so, for the past one year, the reptiles were quarantined and not allowed into the visitors' arena," says Alwin Jesudasan, assistant director of the Crocodile Bank.

The dragon's indigenous habitat is the Komodos Island in Indonesia, and it is similar to the monitor lizard (udumbu). "The reptile is classified as 'vulnerable' as per the red list of International Union for Conservation of Nature. Another interesting feature of Komodos that has been reported from many zoos across the world is that the females have laid fertile eggs without ever being in contact with a male. This form of reproduction is called parthenogenesis," adds Alwin.

Now, each of the three surviving reptiles is five feet long and weigh 12 kg. They can grow up to 10 ft long and weigh 80 kg. Their can live up to 40 years. The Komodo species is supposed to be the largest in the lizard family.

"The animals have been kept in different enclosures. Instructors of Bronx Zoo had warned us against placing them together as they would hurt each other," says Alwin.

This Unexpected City Is Forging A Sustainable Path

Cuba is often celebrated for its classic 1950s cars, historic buildings, vibrant music, and mojitos. But what about the environmental commitment of its citizens? During a recent stay in Havana, I noticed some incredibly creative ways locals are living a little greener. Although many of their routines stem from necessity, they inspired me to take some new eco-habits back home with me.

1. They walk, bus, and share rides.
Like New Yorkers, people in Havana are on the move at all hours of the day, coming and going to work and school, or for a night out. They crisscross the wide parks and plazas by foot and jump on a big metro bus for longer distances. And long before there were ride-sharing apps, people here would hail a local taxi, often a classic 1950s car, and share it with as many as could fit. These days, metro buses cover most of Havana, employers provide group transportation to the office, and decentralized work sites are encouraged so people don't have to travel as far.

2. They capture the power of the sun.
On a recent trip to Cienfuegos on the South Coast, I was happy to spot a solar hot water heater on the roof of the Casa Particular, or bed-and-breakfast, where we stayed. I then learned that the island had 10,500 solar water heaters as of 2015, and solar panels will likely soon be added to city schools and hospitals. Sunshine in Cuba is very strong, so it makes sense to tap that source of renewable energy.

3. They work to save wildlife.
In order to protect the Cuban crocodile, 40 Cuban and 30 international conservation experts collaborated on a project in a wildlife refuge located in the south of the island. With the support of Cuban conservation groups and the Wildlife Conservation Society of the United States, they released 10 crocodiles into the wild wetlands on the Zapata Peninsula. They also shared plans for further research and monitoring of the crocodiles, among many other joint efforts to save the animals. With the help of the WCS, the Bronx Zoo in New York City was the first U.S. zoo to breed the Cuban crocodile.

4. They put the pedal to the metal.
Whether it's on an old-school city bike with no gears, the latest mountain bike, or a bike taxi, Cubans cycle often. Especially outside of Havana, where the pace of life slows down and traffic diminishes, the islanders ride around nonchalantly, perfectly balanced on two wheels as they go to work or the market. These days, groups of tourists on mountain bikes are asked to use tiny video cameras to record the adventure to help the country develop more sustainable tourism.

5. They hang it out to dry.
My grandmother believed that using the sun and wind as a dryer made the clothes cleaner and fresher, and I have continued her practice. In Havana and across the vast island of Cuba, on rooftops and in backyards, you can see clotheslines swaying in the breeze, festooned with brightly hued clothes. Just imagine the amount of electricity this saves a year.

6. They hoof it.
Horseback riding is a big tradition in Cuba that carries on to this day. On my bus trip to the picturesque town of Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage site, I saw horse-drawn carriages and a Cuban cowboy on horseback. In rural areas as well as towns across the island, you hear the clip-clop sound of horse shoes. This tradition helps limit the amount of petroleum that needs to be imported.

7. They live in the open air.
While air conditioning is found in many business offices, there is a great tradition of enjoying outdoor spaces, from balconies and patios to sidewalk cafes. The old-world architecture plays a role, with arcaded buildings providing shade on miles of sidewalks in the center of Havana. Life spills out into the small squares, parks, and tree-lined streets, but the favored destination for Habaneros and visitors is the famed seaside promenade, the Malecon, which stretches 5 miles along the Florida Straits. Waves crash against the sea wall, and a strong ocean breeze blows consistently. Known as the living room of the city, it's a popular meeting place for families, couples, runners, and fishermen.

8. They shop locally.
Cuban-grown coffee, freshly baked bread, and their local bottled water, juices, and ice cream can give you an authentic taste of the island. The verdant countryside produces tropical fruit in abundance that is sold fresh—no packaging needed. Pineapples, papayas, mangos, guavas, limes, and bananas are stacked up on the markets and tossed into canvas bags at purchase.

Crocodiles and climate change

Remember Tick Tock, the crocodile in the Disney animated movie "Peter Pan"? He had swallowed an alarm clock, and you can always hear him coming.

Tick Tock is always coming for the evil Captain Hook. Ever since Peter Pan cut off Hook's hand and fed it to the crocodile, Tick Tock has been pursuing Hook relentlessly, wanting nothing more than to gobble up the rest of him.

Unfortunately for Tick Tock (and fortunately for Hook), he's a very big crocodile and moves extremely slowly. So Hook always listens for the sound of a ticking clock, and when he hears it, he knows it's time to get moving before the always-hungry Tick Tock catches up with him.

Well, kids, here's some bad news. We have our own Tick Tock heading our way. It's called climate change. It's moving slowly, like the crocodile, but it never stops.

We don't notice changing climate from day to day because of short-term fluctuations in weather and medium-term seasonal weather patterns like shifts in the jet stream. So it's easy to believe that the climate isn't really changing at all. But it is.

Setting aside all the weather-related highs and lows, how fast is our climate changing? And will it, like the slow but steady Tick Tock, ever catch us and eat us?

One way to visualize climate change is to compare the rate that our own hometown is warming with the rate that we would warm up if we headed south to Orlando, Fla., home of Disney World and our friend the ticking crocodile.

Let's compare the numbers. First, if we stay in just one place, how fast will our climate warm?

According to NASA scientists, the average temperature in the United States is increasing by 0.37 degrees Fahrenheit every decade. Rounding off, that's about 0.04 degrees per year. Doesn't sound like much, right?

Well, that's 10 times the rate of the fastest global warming period ever recorded or estimated by scientists by looking at geological evidence. It's incredibly fast as Earth's history goes, but not something you'd notice from year to year.

Now let's look at how fast you'd warm up if you headed south from Pittsburgh to Orlando to visit our friend Tick Tock.

Orlando's average temperature over the course of a year is 73 degrees. Here in Pittsburgh, it's 52 degrees. So that's a difference of 21 degrees.

Orlando is 781 miles south of Pittsburgh. Do the math, and you'll see that for every mile that you go south, the temperature increases by, on the average, 0.027 degrees.

Well, that's interesting! Go south for a mile and a half and the temperature increases by 0.04 degrees. Don't want to leave home? No problem. Just wait a year and the temperature will also increase by 0.04 degrees!

In other words, for every year that goes by, it's as if you, your family, your house, your yard and your entire neighborhood all slid southward by a mile and a half.

How fast does something move if it travels 1.5 miles per year? Not fast at all if you're sitting and watching it, assuming that the chair that you're sitting in is unaffected by climate change and is not also moving southward. A mile and a half per year is roughly 22 feet per day. That's 11 inches per hour.

Now, if you see that your house is sliding south at 11 inches per hour, you might think that's nothing to worry about, right? It's about the width of a toothpick every three seconds. Get down on your hands and knees and look with a magnifying glass and you'd see your house grinding very slowly through the dirt. Step back a couple of steps, though, and you won't see it.

But such little movements add up. Sure, you can't see your house moving south. But go to bed at night, and you'll wake up in the morning to find that you're 4 or 5 feet closer to Disney World than when you went to bed. A year later you'll be a mile and a half closer to the sunny South.

Seventy five years from now, you and your house will be, more or less, at the latitude of Washington, D.C. Not a bad place to be. But as you sit on your front porch, you'll probably think back to when it used to snow in the winter. Yup, you say, we just don't see snow much anymore. I remember when we used to go sledding in the winter and the snowdrifts were up to here.

Massive crocodile frightens villagers in C. Java

A five-meter long crocodile terrorized residents of Kedungwiangun village in Klirong district, Kebumen regency, Central Java, on Tuesday.

The reptile was spotted in the paddy and is believed to have been carried to the location by the overflowing Luk Ulo River following heavy rain the night before.

Some residents tried to catch the animal, but in doing so they provoked it to get out of the water, run wild and cause panic.

"We were unaware that the crocodile is that big. So we all ran away once it got to the ground with its mouth wide open," said villager Turyono. "It came after us fast. It was ferocious."

Numerous attempts to catch the apparently angered crocodile failed. Some tried to use bamboo sticks and steel wire to snare it, but the reptile broke the trap.

"The crocodile then disappeared, but villagers are now haunted by fear that it could return," Turyono said.

Kebumen Police spokesman Adj. Comr. Willy Budiyanto criticized the villagers for attempting to catch the animal.

"It is dangerous to try to catch a crocodile without proper knowledge, not to mention the fact that they did it at very close range," he said.

In Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, a 50-year-old man is missing after he was reportedly attacked by a wild crocodile near the Balang Island bridge on Wednesday.

"The man, Maskur, was attacked when he and his two children set up a fish trap," said Octavianto from the East and North Kalimantan SAR Agency.

'Idiots of the century' swim in baited croc trap

A group of men seen swimming inside a baited crocodile trap in Australia near where a woman was recently eaten were blasted as "idiots of the century" Tuesday.

Photos posted on Facebook showed the four men clambering on the floating trap set near a marina at Port Douglas in northern Queensland state and even posing inside it.

It is not far from where a 4.3-metre (14-foot) croc killed dementia sufferer Anne Cameron.

The beast that took the 79-year-old less than two weeks ago was trapped and human remains found inside, but plenty of other crocodiles inhabit the rivers and seas in the area.

Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu said she was stunned at their stupidity.

"I was absolutely gobsmacked, this is incredibly stupid and dangerous behaviour," she said told broadcaster ABC.

"I'm wondering if these fellows are vying for the idiots of the year award or the idiots of the century award."

Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles also weighed in, tweeting: "Srsly? The meat we put in these traps is bait. For crocodiles. Don't swim in them! It's stupid, and illegal."

Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to seven metres long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of Australia's tropical north and kill an average of two people a year.

Their numbers have exploded since they were declared a protected species in the 1970s, with Cameron's death reigniting calls to control them.

Queensland's environment department said the men's actions were "reckless".

"These traps are specifically designed to attract crocodiles and they are deployed in places where a problem crocodile is known to be present," it said in a statement.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that interfering with crocodile traps can be potentially life-threatening for the person concerned."

There are fines of up to Aus$15,000 (US$11,700) for interfering with a crocodile trap.

Hunt for tens of millions in Crocodile Dundee profits is on again

THE hunt for tens of millions of dollars in Crocodile Dundee profits is on again with federal prosecutors considering whether to charge Paul Hogan's former accountant, who thought he was in the clear.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has revealed to News Corp Australia that the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is currently considering whether to commence proceedings against Tony Stewart, who provided financial advice to Hogan and collaborator John "Strop" Cornell for at least 15 years.

In 2005 the trio became the focus of Australia's most expensive and high-profile tax probe after the ACIC's forerunner, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC), raided a Melbourne hotel room and found explosive documents on a laptop. The men were investigated on suspicion of squirrelling away much of the hit films' earnings in trusts and companies stretching from Switzerland to the Caribbean.

In 2010 the ACC dropped its investigation into Hogan and Cornell; two years later the duo and the ATO settled claims against each other without any admissions of liability. Not a single tax evasion charge has ever been laid against Hogan, Cornell or Stewart and they have always denied doing anything wrong.

When News Corp Australia told Stewart the DPP was now looking at whether to charge him, he said: "It's news to me … I don't know what all this is about.

"I've been investigated by the ACC … and I've been cleared. It's over as far as I'm concerned."

He then revealed that he too had settled with authorities, in December 2014.

Asked if there was any missing money in Swiss bank accounts, Stewart said: "I am not in a position to comment; there is a whole heap of confidentiality agreements and also I was a professional adviser to Paul and John and in that regard I still have a professional responsibility to them.

"There are sort of handcuffs on me and I have to keep my mouth shut."

The revelations that Stewart had settled yet is in the crosshairs once more leaves open the possibility that Hogan could also face further investigation.

Hogan's California-based manager Douglas Urbanski said: "We are unaware of any reopening of any investigation into Mr Hogan. I will mention that after a years long investigation, it was eventually dropped for lack of evidence. Worth mentioning is that Mr Hogan was compensated by the state for a portion of his legal fees in the matter."

The Australian solicitor who represents all three men, Andrew Robinson, said "Mr Stewart denies and will continue to deny any wrongdoing."

Mr Robinson added that he had received "no communication from any federal agency" in the seven years since the ACC "took the unprecedented step of issuing a press release advising the public that the investigation" into Hogan and Cornell was over.

The ACIC, which replaced the ACC in 2015, would not make further comment. The DPP and ATO would not comment.

The pursuit of Hogan, Cornell and Stewart began after ACC officers stormed a suite at Melbourne's Sheraton hotel on Valentine's Day 2004. The room was booked in the name of Brit Philip Egglishaw, a principal of Swiss tax advisory firm Strachans.

The client files on Egglishaw's laptop sparked the Project Wickenby tax probe, which cost $430 million to run but claimed to have raised more than $1 billion by the time it finished 2015.

In total 46 people were convicted. Wickenby's most high-profile scalp was entertainment guru Glenn Wheatley, jailed for 15 months in 2007.

Hogan has said he used Strachans — legitimately.

Mowbray River a well known spot for snapping pics of crocodiles

MOTORISTS driving ­between Cairns and Port Douglas know well the Mowbray River is a no-go zone for swimming: you can actually see the crocodiles on the riverbank.

At least three saltwater crocodiles inhabit the area under the Captain Cook Highway bridge over the river, about 7km south of Port ­Douglas.

The reptiles, which ­occasionally bask next to each other, are regularly snapped by passers-by.

Hartleys Crocodile Adventures wildlife manager Drew Melville said the trio of predators may be too small to take a person.

But, he said, that did not rule out a much larger croc stalking the area.

"I would not recommend anyone go swimming in the Mowbray River or its tributaries," he said.

"There's the possibility that there is a large male croc in the there and no one has seen him.

"So you've got Dickson Inlet, where there is definitely one over 4m plus.

"And of course, even rivers like the Daintree or Coopers Creek are well within the travelling range of larger crocs."

Department of Environment and Heritage Protection rangers were last night surveying the Mowbray River and tributaries for any signs of a large crocodile that may have taken Anne Cameron.

Crocodiles that have ­previously attacked people are known to display aggressive and territorial behaviour.

There were several sightings of crocs in the Mowbray reported to EHP.

However, as the river is well within crocodile territory, only warning signs were erected alongside the permanent warning signs at the bridge that have been in place for some time.

Mr Melville said swimming in creeks anywhere between Rockhampton to the tip of Cape York was definitely not advisable.

"And that would be a tragedy, indeed, if this is what has happened (with the elderly woman)," he said.

The suspected fatal attack follows the death of Cairns spearfisherman Warren ­Hughes, 35, who was taken by a crocodile near the mouth of the Russell River in March.

FNQ AUTHORITY IDEA REJECTED
THE Palaszczuk government will not support basing a Queensland Crocodile Authority in Cairns.

Bureaucrats from the ­Department of Environment and Heritage Protection fronted a public hearing in Brisbane on Wednesday to discuss ­Katter's Australian Party's draft legislation, the Safer ­Waterways Bill. One component of the Bill includes the creation of a crocodile authority, based in Cairns, which would be tasked with issuing permits for legal crocodile egg harvesting in Queensland and to landholders to manage crocodiles on their own land.

But the EHP officials, in their official submission to the inquiry examining the Bill, want the requirement for ­public servants employed by the authority to live and work in Cairns to be removed.

The department's Dr Beth Clouston said having staff based in Cairns would limit ­officers' capacity to respond to croc sightings in a timely and efficient manner.

EHP also says there may be "industrial relations implications" relating to forcing staff to live and work in Cairns.

Surf Life Saving Queensland boss says swimmers not safe from crocodile attack

A SURF Life Saving boss is warning swimmers they should no longer feel safe in some of our most popular waterways — as crocodile numbers keep rising.

A SURF Life Saving Queensland boss says swimmers can no longer feel safe in the state's waterways due to the increased threat of crocodile attack.

SLSQ chief operating officer George Hill yesterday told a public hearing into Katter's Australia Party's proposed Safer Waterways Bill there was a growing risk to both Surf Life Saving staff and the general public at Queensland beaches.

"We have seen a growing trend and a higher risk to our community," he said.

"The reality is that there's tourists sunbaking and there's crocodiles (basking) less than 30m apart.

"It's a risk that has the potential to have a catastrophic result for the community."

The revelation comes after The Courier-Mail this week revealed crocodile sightings in the state have increased by more than 38 per cent in the past two years.

Mr Hill said while the service did not support killing crocodiles, it did want to see them removed from popular swimming areas.

"Both those levels (life guards and life savers) have identified a trend of seeing larger crocodiles in what we call public space, waterways where people can frequent. And when I say larger crocodiles, over the past five years the trend has certainly grown to see 3m to 4m crocodiles.

"(This) is in public spaces such as Port Douglas Beach, Four Mile Beach, there was one there last week that we closed the beach for, Palm Cove, Trinity Beach, Forest Beach in Ingham, Townsville's Strand."

Mr Hill said members were becoming hesitant to patrol waterways north of Townsville and that he was particularly concerned for the safety of SLSQ staff manning stinger nets in north Queensland.

"Unfortunately crocodiles can enter those (nets) and ... we have situations where every morning in summer our lifesavers and lifeguards will drag those nets for stingers.

"But they're going in knowing there may or may not be a crocodile in there."

Mr Hill said he supported changes to the state's crocodile management plan if it meant safer waterways for swimmers.

"We need to protect our environment but certainly we need to protect the public and our users and future surf life savers and people that frequent our waters," he said.

"While we don't want to see the crocs harmed in any way, we certainly do support the removal of any crocodile that's in a public space that could be a risk to anyone in the community whether it's a bite or a fatal attack."

The proposed KAP Bill would introduce a number of new measures including controlled crocodile culls and egg harvesting.

A spokesman for Australia Zoo also spoke at the hearing and slammed the Bill saying it was poorly researched and would not make waterways any safer.

"This legislation will be disastrous for humans and for crocodiles," he said.

"The environmental research has been basic and sketchy."