Injured wild animals are often sent to the zoo for treatment. Last
week, a giant crocodile caught in Ragama was sent to the zoo by the
Department of Wildlife Conservation in an attempt to save the life of
this animal which had been badly beaten up.
Crocodiles are seen as menacing creatures. The news broke a few weeks ago that a man who went into a marsh in Ragama had been attacked by a crocodile. The man was killed and people in the area who use the marsh for many purposes were scared by the lurking threat. So they decided to catch the
crocodile
and a team baited the crocodile using a strong iron hook hidden in a
chicken on one end with a strong rope that had been tied firmly to
restrain any victim that swallowed the bait.
Luckily for the hunters the hungry croc fell for the trap. But even the hunters were surprised to find that the croc was indeed a giant. The hook, entangled deep in its mouth and neck, prevented escape. Its struggles were to no avail. Finally the team managed to drag it to the banks of the marshy land. Whilst the crocodile tried to escape, its legs and the deadly jaws were tied tight.
It measured 15 feet long and about 900kg in weight and was identified as a salt-water Crocodile by the experts. Proving that it is a truly giant, the experts claim it is one of the largest crocodiles found in recent years in South Asia. Surely, it must have been the largest specimen found in Sri Lanka.
As the news about the capture of the large crocodile spread in the area, people started to gather near the marsh to have a look at this rare creature. But unfortunately some of them were harming the crocodile, in trying to be heroes. The croc was also badly beaten and its head had been hit with a sharp weapon injuring it critically. It could be a killer croc, but it was captured and imprisoned with legs tied and kept in a helpless position. The crocodile was exhausted, scared and weakened by the time Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officers got to inspect it.
Tragedy on the way to the zoo
Crocodiles are seen as menacing creatures. The news broke a few weeks ago that a man who went into a marsh in Ragama had been attacked by a crocodile. The man was killed and people in the area who use the marsh for many purposes were scared by the lurking threat. So they decided to catch the
crocodile
and a team baited the crocodile using a strong iron hook hidden in a
chicken on one end with a strong rope that had been tied firmly to
restrain any victim that swallowed the bait. Luckily for the hunters the hungry croc fell for the trap. But even the hunters were surprised to find that the croc was indeed a giant. The hook, entangled deep in its mouth and neck, prevented escape. Its struggles were to no avail. Finally the team managed to drag it to the banks of the marshy land. Whilst the crocodile tried to escape, its legs and the deadly jaws were tied tight.
It measured 15 feet long and about 900kg in weight and was identified as a salt-water Crocodile by the experts. Proving that it is a truly giant, the experts claim it is one of the largest crocodiles found in recent years in South Asia. Surely, it must have been the largest specimen found in Sri Lanka.
As the news about the capture of the large crocodile spread in the area, people started to gather near the marsh to have a look at this rare creature. But unfortunately some of them were harming the crocodile, in trying to be heroes. The croc was also badly beaten and its head had been hit with a sharp weapon injuring it critically. It could be a killer croc, but it was captured and imprisoned with legs tied and kept in a helpless position. The crocodile was exhausted, scared and weakened by the time Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) officers got to inspect it.
Tragedy on the way to the zoo
The usual practice is to release captured crocodiles to a national
park, but as the crocodile was injured, the DWC officers sent it to the
Dehiwala Zoological gardens for treatment. The veterinary team was
informed about the unusual patient that was being brought in and had to
quickly get ready to act. But unfortunately, the crocodile succumbed to
injuries just a few minutes before reaching the Zoological Garden. The
vets and others removed the hook which was entangled in its mouth in an
attempt to revive it.
“The wounds created by the hook and injury on the head were too deep that even the giant croc didn’t stand a chance,” commented the zoo’s veterinary surgeon Dr.Jagath Jayasekare who tried to save the wounded croc.
The veterinary team then conducted a post-mortem on the crocodile to find remains of the things this reptile had fed on. “There were bodies of tortoises and to our surprise, a few bones believed to be human too were collected from its belly. These were half digested and were sent for further investigations to re-verify whether these could be the bones of the unlucky victim killed by the crocodile a few weeks back,” said Dr. Jayasekare. “Usually the bones and other remains of what the crocodiles feed on fully digest due to the potency of their abdominal acids.” It was also stated that a DNA test will be carried out to identify the bone remains found in the crocodile.
Crocodiles are a protected species in Sri Lanka. They are the top predators in the riverine and marsh environments. Though they sometimes take an unlucky human victim, they mostly feed on fish. This also means that they remove the sick and weak creatures from the environment ensuring the overall health of the ecosystem. If you remove all these top predators, it will mean a loss of balance of that ecosystem. This will also have bad repercussions for all, so it is necessary to strike a balance and not to kill all those animals because of unwholesome incidents. The way there are only a few nasty men among the good, in the animal world too there can be occasionally a nasty animal that needs to be ‘managed.’ Reptile experts recommend that there should be mechanisms to avoid confrontations with humans by different means and in the case of nasty crocs, they could be relocated instead of resorting to killing.
This croc which was killed in Ragama will be stuffed by taxidermists in the near future and will be kept on display in the zoo’s museum. At least you will get the chance to see the giant croc in that form.
“The wounds created by the hook and injury on the head were too deep that even the giant croc didn’t stand a chance,” commented the zoo’s veterinary surgeon Dr.Jagath Jayasekare who tried to save the wounded croc.
The veterinary team then conducted a post-mortem on the crocodile to find remains of the things this reptile had fed on. “There were bodies of tortoises and to our surprise, a few bones believed to be human too were collected from its belly. These were half digested and were sent for further investigations to re-verify whether these could be the bones of the unlucky victim killed by the crocodile a few weeks back,” said Dr. Jayasekare. “Usually the bones and other remains of what the crocodiles feed on fully digest due to the potency of their abdominal acids.” It was also stated that a DNA test will be carried out to identify the bone remains found in the crocodile.
Crocodiles are a protected species in Sri Lanka. They are the top predators in the riverine and marsh environments. Though they sometimes take an unlucky human victim, they mostly feed on fish. This also means that they remove the sick and weak creatures from the environment ensuring the overall health of the ecosystem. If you remove all these top predators, it will mean a loss of balance of that ecosystem. This will also have bad repercussions for all, so it is necessary to strike a balance and not to kill all those animals because of unwholesome incidents. The way there are only a few nasty men among the good, in the animal world too there can be occasionally a nasty animal that needs to be ‘managed.’ Reptile experts recommend that there should be mechanisms to avoid confrontations with humans by different means and in the case of nasty crocs, they could be relocated instead of resorting to killing.
This croc which was killed in Ragama will be stuffed by taxidermists in the near future and will be kept on display in the zoo’s museum. At least you will get the chance to see the giant croc in that form.
Crocs in the Zoo
Crocodiles are reptiles. So if you want to see the crocs in a zoo,
you need to visit the reptilian enclosure. This was actually begun as an
enclosure housing one croc. This particular one can mostly be seen
basking in the sunlight in a corner of its den. Sometimes it likes to
take a dip in the small cement water pool located in the middle of the
den. Other than the local crocodiles, the zoo also has foreign crocs
such as the Gavial Crocodile, Cuban Crocodile and Dwarf Crocodiles. On
your next visit to the zoo, you shouldn’t forget to observe these
reptiles very closely.
Valentine’s Day ‘wedding’ for ram and deer at a China zoo
A Chinese zoo held a Valentine’s Day wedding on Tuesday (February 14)
for a male sheep and a female deer whose unconventional relationship
has captured the public imagination, state media reported. Visitors
have flooded to the wildlife park in the south western province of
Yunnan to see the sheep, whose Chinese name Changmao means long hair,
and the deer, Chunzi (pure), after zookeepers revealed online that the
pair had begun mating.On Tuesday, visitors flocked again to the zoo, to
see the two unlikely lovers unite in a ceremony carefully choreographed
by their keepers, the state-run China News Service said in a photo
report. Photos posted online showed Chunzi trotting under a man-made
arch that carried the words “I do” in Chinese, with Changmao following
closely behind, as spectators stood behind a railing with cameras ready.
Another photo shows the sheep puckering its lips for what looks
like a kiss, while the deer looks on with an undecided look on its face.
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