A massive summer school holidays was topped off this week with Charlie the 12ft saltwater crocodile being fed a whole wild boar carcass in the Crocoseum!
Terri, Bindi and Robert watched in awe as Wes tossed Charlie the boar on a rope, and after several minutes of tugging and death-rolling, Charlie won the day.
It was the very first time we have ever showcased a whole animal feed in the Crocoseum, and the packed stands were enthralled for almost half an hour while Charlie dismantled his lunch.
Because the pig was too large for Charlie to swallow whole, he first needed to loosen it up with his immense teeth and jaw pressure. After that, all it took was a few headshakes, and voilà! Charlie must have thought it was Christmas all over again.
Feeding our crocs whole carcasses is really important to keep them active and stimulated, as it mimics their natural behaviour and is how they would feed in the wild.
Charlie, who weighs around 350kg, was rescued from a facility north of Australia Zoo in 2002 by Steve, Terri, Wes and the croc crew. He and Steve later perfected the tail-walk demonstration, prompting Steve to choose Charlie to appear in many scenes of his movie Collision Course.
Well that was a bit gross but other than that. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gail from London20th February 2012 18:06:48 AEST
There have been a lot of programmes recently on TV about the wonderful Crocodile and, unfortunately, every single programme has only confirmed what I already thought. These wonderful, amazing reptiles will never be as safe as what they were when Steve was alive. They will never shine as bright as when Steve was alive; they will never be appreciated and understood as much as when Steve was alive and they definitely will never be described in the same wonderful way that they were when Steve was alive. With all my heart I feel for the Irwins' tremendous loss, of course I do, but I also can't help but feel for the Crocodiles' loss too. xx
jane27th January 2012 13:01:15 AEST
Wow what a treat that was.
Jane Nowlin25th January 2012 03:56:41 AEST
This was an awesome newsletter and seeing the pics of Charlie made me remember Steve and his love for the crocs! My best to all of you who keep us remembering Steve and the work he did. Someday maybe I'll get to come to AU and visit the Zoo in person.
4 Zoo Comments
oliver from England 16th March 2012 16:29:23 AEST
Well that was a bit gross but other than that. Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gail from London 20th February 2012 18:06:48 AEST
There have been a lot of programmes recently on TV about the wonderful Crocodile and, unfortunately, every single programme has only confirmed what I already thought. These wonderful, amazing reptiles will never be as safe as what they were when Steve was alive. They will never shine as bright as when Steve was alive; they will never be appreciated and understood as much as when Steve was alive and they definitely will never be described in the same wonderful way that they were when Steve was alive. With all my heart I feel for the Irwins' tremendous loss, of course I do, but I also can't help but feel for the Crocodiles' loss too. xx
jane 27th January 2012 13:01:15 AEST
Wow what a treat that was.
Jane Nowlin 25th January 2012 03:56:41 AEST
This was an awesome newsletter and seeing the pics of Charlie made me remember Steve and his love for the crocs! My best to all of you who keep us remembering Steve and the work he did. Someday maybe I'll get to come to AU and visit the Zoo in person.