Darwin Crocodylus Park

[OzRocks]

Heys guys
I just got back from a school trip to N.T this mornin, which was absolutely unreal. Although while we were in Darwin we stopped off at the Crocodylus park, (their main business is farming crocodileles but they have a descent range of other animals) and I was really #&%*@! off and outraged at the conditions that the animals were being kept. The thing that really annoyed me was the amount of salty's bein kept in the one enclosure and the state of that enclosure, but also of other animals. 13 ft+ adult crocs were being kept in tiny enclosures measuring around 3.5 mt x 6mt with a pond so small they can barely submerge let alone swim even havin a male and female in the same enclosure, 240 2mt crocs in the same enclosure (apparently the tip of the iceburge!), tigers being kept in ridiculously small enclosures that they were pacing, overweight crocs being overfed so that they can put on a show for the tourists, hawksbill turtles in concrete pits with a bit of land(also concrete) and a tonne of dry food floating on the waters surface. Theres more but to much deatil.

If anyone else has been to this park and wants a to have a say (agree or disagree) I wanna hear it!!

I would of supplied pics but my camera was stolen while i was there (bugger!), but ill see if i can get some off my mates

Cheers Matt

 

[Davo66]

I went there a few years ago and agree with the conditions you have mentioned, in particular the very small enclosures they have huge crocs in. The animals are much longer then the width of their pens!. Not a croc expert but seem very small to me!

Davo

 

[0_missy_0]

That sounds terrible. I should go up there and give them a piece of my mind!!:x:cry:

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

B4 you go opening your mouth and bad mouthing the place you went to did you think to ask if they were expanding??? Well just so you know they are making other pond to keep the saltie's in.. I know I live here and have a best mate who works there... Til you know full details matey please don't put anything down... It would be like if I went somewhere you were from and I said something bad... It don't feel good....

 

[Glider]

I think you need to remember that Crocodylus is a working crocodile farm and research facility. I'm guessing that you haven't been to any other crocodile farms before, but I can tell you that the conditions the crocs are kept in are generally average to above average for that industry. Just think about pig farms or chicken farms. Not the nicest of places, but considered safe and acceptable stocking levels for the animals.

Its much the same as someone who hasn't kept snakes before might be upset at seeing a large snake kept in a seemingly small wooden box lined with newspaper. Those big breeder crocs have all their basic needs met- some sun, come shade, some grass, a pool of water, enough room to move around a bit, appropriate food brought to them regularly and a breeding program that seems to be very sucessful as a result of that.

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

As far as I know there is only one tiger and the space for one is fine. Lions also I as I've seen there kept in a decent Cage enough space for the 3-4 of them. As I said they are expanding but waiting on the contractor's and approval to clear more land.....So until then if you don't know the full story dont be so harsh.. Oh and im not being a rude person either. It's hard to say what ya want on here without ppl taking it the wrong way

 

[Pythons Rule]

I live up there but never been to the park as of yet, I've driven past plenty of times but never been.
They are building another erea for the croc's at the moment but what a joke that is, there making it in Dawin on michell street big block but not near anouph the size they should be kept in they also have so rediculas ideas for the park too, makeing swimming pools devided with glass and the croc's on the other side. what happen's the thing smashes it or jumps the glass all I can see is desaster after desaster happening here. god Crocadilas and the other crocadile farm reports croc's exscaping from the facinity can you imagine croc's excaping in the city and haveing a large 4-6 metre croc of the streets and eating tourists. Bloody crazy they better make strong walls other than wire fences and stuff.

cheers Jody

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

Jody there is alot more to what you have heard..... Ok things how you have heard about the other part being for crocodylus park in town isnt for crocodylus park... It's going to be a reptile park thing for tourists and the swimming pool thing hasnt been approved as of yet. As they arent quite sure if they are going to do that... Cause not every person who lives in town want's to drive all they way to the croc farm or to crocodylus park.. Hence why they are doing one in town.. Oh and the escapee's from the croc farm down at noonahmah didnt get very far....

 

[OzRocks]

B4 you go opening your mouth and bad mouthing the place you went to did you think to ask if they were expanding??? Well just so you know they are making other pond to keep the saltie's in.. I know I live here and have a best mate who works there... Til you know full details matey please don't put anything down... It would be like if I went somewhere you were from and I said something bad... It don't feel good....

Look mate I dont want to make an enemy here but from what ive been told its been like that for quite a while.
and the question that needs to be asked is not are they expanding?, but why havnt they already or why keep the animals when they do not have the room to keep such large animals at that time?
you cannot honestly tell me that you would let someone get a herp if they didnt have the correct sized enclosure....

I know what i said was harsh, but keeping some of those crocs in those conditions is also harsh, they need space like any other large animal, including those tigers. Also are they making another pond to give them salties more room, or to boost the numbers?

And I know havin someone sledge ya mates work doesnt feel good, but neither does seeing crocs stacked on one another like bricks or crammed into a pond when they are designed to require space.

And glider you said it was better then most other farms in Oz....fair enough...but we shouldnt be comparing other croc farms to decide whats best for these animals. and also the chooks and pigs we have aswell.....i put the crocs in the same category as the livestock, and neither animal should have to be kept in those conditions!

Sorry if I got up some peoples noses but there has to be a point where an animals welfare is more important then money and our desire to keep and see animals

sorry once again but apprecaite your view

 

[Isis]

Hmm APL doesnt seem like they read your posts does it. I have heard about the plans they have too and they sound good. As you said it is a working farm...... oh how nice it would be to live in a perfect world.

 

[Pythons Rule]

sorry it could be another mob that are building a croc theam park thing in the city but I still think its a joke building somewhere there it could caurse a lot of danger and demage if one ever got loose.

and yes they are exspanding the erea of where they are now, as simone pointed out. Have you seen the size of the land there on it is hude and they have to wait for the all clear before they go for there lives to make it bigger, there not hartless people and do you know how quick croc's breed? very farst.

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

Dude its a croc farm used for breeding and stuff the crocs in the long pens are fine they are fed right and not all of the pens have two crocs in them.. did you happen to look under the walkway where the crocs are in the concrete ponds with the grass at the back? that is plenty of room for them they are there for breeding purposes nothing more special then that.. It is cruel for an animal if u keep it and not feed it or clean thier pens. But these crocs are very well looked after.. As I said they are for farming and breeding. Ive seen worser places. As for them expanding for more ponds its for those that are already in the bigger pond not to boost numbers. As most of the crocs that are bred there are used for exporting meat and skin's. That is what the park is mainly about.

 

[Isis]

Have you ever heard of codes of practice and standards that you have to adhere to before you even get approval to build anything like that let alone the appropriate licences.

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

Yea well isis not many ppl do read my post's but oh well such is life, oh jody the theme park is going to be perfectly safe due to ppl being able to look downat the crocs and not having them at ppls level and the fences are built down deep so they would have a hard time digging trying to get out and if by anychance a drunk falls in due to stupidity then its not the theme parks fault.

 

[Pythons Rule]

Look mate I dont want to make an enemy here but from what ive been told its been like that for quite a while.
and the question that needs to be asked is not are they expanding?, but why havnt they already or why keep the animals when they do not have the room to keep such large animals at that time?
you cannot honestly tell me that you would let someone get a herp if they didnt have the correct sized enclosure....

I know what i said was harsh, but keeping some of those crocs in those conditions is also harsh, they need space like any other large animal, including those tigers. Also are they making another pond to give them salties more room, or to boost the numbers?

The this is they can't let them go there are way too many croc's in the wild as it is and if they do let them go they eather have to kull them as for a few hundres wild ones get kulled per year.
What would you rather them being kept in a cage that has the basics where they get fed or to get let go and get killed just for the purpose that there is too many.

Jody

 

[OzRocks]

I did see that they did have a great deal of land, and I am happy that they are going to use it. Although they should only increase the numbers of crocs on the farm when it is completed, not because they are able to breed or because they have laid eggs.

Let me put this on the table....yes it is a farm, yes it could well be their source of income, and yes it might bring tourists to the area, but no these animals are not domesticated like sheep, pigs, choocks, cows etc.

These animals are still wild, and deserve the respect enough to give them a reasonable amount of space that they are designed for, regardless of whether they are going to the belt factory or stanging as an attraction. and saying that its gonna be done is not good enough.

I would still like to point out the tigers aswell.....a 20m X 20m enclosure isnt room enough for an animal that would otherwise have kilometres of territory

Also Im sure if they wanted to they could halt all breeding by not incubating eggs, removing eggs from nests and not pairing males with females

 

[Pythons Rule]

LOL it could solve the problem the gov is trying to fix. JOKES

 

[Isis]

And OzRocks do you herps you keep as pets have the same amount of area that they would have in the wild????? Me thinks not.

 

[OzRocks]

Isis, I know where your coming from. Although my animals are not stacked on top of each other with no natural substrate, and if my herps wanna climb, they can climb, if my herps wanna swim they can swim, if my herps wanna dig they can dig, if my herps wanna get away from each other....they can.

Also let me remind people once again, im am not just talking about the crocs. There were other anaimls that could of done with an upgrade

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

Well Ozrocks Crocodylus park has been named the best wildlife sanctuary in darwin apart from the territory wildlife park. Tourists keep on coming and coming and coming so they can see the crocodiles upfront and personal to learn about their biology and ecology, to ponder the educational material in the Museum, to see the collection of other animals on exhibit, and to have their curiosities satisfied with any questions. There has not yet been a bad comment or any bad feedback at all on how the animals are kept. Dr Grahame Webb and the staff of Wildlife Management International Pty Ltd (WMI) have spent the last 25 years researching crocodiles. But yet you were there for one day and you don't know the complete story on how everything really runs. How about you go and get a job there then you can tell me what and how it's like to be someone who always has to watch thier backs. They are still in a wild life area they just get fed and looked after better then they would be doing in the wild.