Nowra Wildlife Park (Old) Croc attacks keeper

F

FriendOfTheZoo

Well-Known Member
https://au.news.yahoo.com/nsw/a/24403230/croc-drags-handler-at-nsw-south-coast-zoo/

A 3.7m crocodile has dragged a handler into the water at a school holiday feeding show at a NSW south coast zoo.

The man was feeding male croc John, the biggest at the Shoalhaven Zoo at Nowra, when he was bitten on the hand and pulled into the water about 12.30 pm.

"We transported a male in his 30s to Shoalhaven Hospital in a stable condition with a minor hand injury," an ambulance spokesman said.

Shaken elderly witness Marlene Orr, who's seen crocs in the wild and at Australia Zoo, told Fairfax Media it was "the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Another onlooker said; "He was feeding him meat and the crocodile took it before the designated area to be fed and so the trainer went to grab it out of the crocodile's mouth and the crocodile just grabbed the trainer and put him to the ground and dragged him to the water.

"Then the trainer got free, jumped out of the water and had puncture holes to his hand."

The zoo's owner said the injured handler had been working with crocodiles for more than a decade and fed John daily.

"It's an attack and that is serious, but thankfully the injuries aren't life threatening, which it certainly had the potential to be," he said.

"He's more disappointed with himself that it happened."
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"Another onlooker said; "He was feeding him meat and the crocodile took it before the designated area to be fed and so the trainer went to grab it out of the crocodile's mouth and the crocodile just grabbed the trainer and put him to the ground and dragged him to the water."

Human error then. Confucius say "Don't try to grab food out of croc mouth if want to keep hand".
 
Crocodile attacks handler at Shoalhaven Zoo in Nowra

I had never heard of this place!

Quote from
Australian Breaking News Headlines & World News Online | SMH.com.au

A man has been attacked by a crocodile at Shoalhaven Zoo on the NSW south coast.
Animal handler Trent Burton, believed to be in his mid 30s, was presenting a crocodile feeding show at the zoo about noon on Monday when the largest resident crocodile, a 3.7-metre reptile known as John, grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into the water in the enclosure.
Spectators looked on in horror as the handler broke free and got out of the water.


Read more: Crocodile attacks handler at Shoalhaven Zoo in Nowra
 
FriendOfTheZoo said:
That zoo is TOTALLY going to have to re-design that croc enclosure, especially that fence.

Whoever thought that bent metal spikes in the ground was a good choice for a croc enclosure was clearly drunk!!
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I can't see anything wrong with the fence - its cheap, allows a good view of a croc at eye level, and presumably keeps them in fine. What's the problem?
 
zooboy28 said:
I can't see anything wrong with the fence - its cheap, allows a good view of a croc at eye level, and presumably keeps them in fine. What's the problem?
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:eek: Go back & watch how many times he had to save himself from being impaled on the fence as the croc was trying to drag him into the water, and then tell me again the fence is fine for a croc enclosure were croc feeding shows are performed.
 
zooman said:
I had never heard of this place!
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Shoalhaven Zoo is the new name for the Nowra Wildlife Park, which you may have heard of. (I only found out the name had changed a few days ago when it was mentioned on one of the threads).
 
FriendOfTheZoo said:
:eek: Go back & watch how many times he had to save himself from being impaled on the fence as the croc was trying to drag him into the water, and then tell me again the fence is fine for a croc enclosure were croc feeding shows are performed.
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Ok, so there is a danger of being impaled. I can see that. But only if you're being attacked :D But I see how that's not really the point.

I think it works well as a display enclosure, seeing them from that angle is great. Possibly a new feeding exhibit is required though.
 
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