Alice Springs Reptile Centre

Last updated

Alice Springs Reptile Centre
Alice-springs-reptile-centre-logo.png
Alice Springs Reptile Centre
23°42′S133°52′E / 23.7°S 133.87°E / -23.7; 133.87
Date openedJanuary 2000
Location Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Website www.reptilecentre.com.au

The Alice Springs Reptile Centre is a privately operated reptile centre and environmental education facility in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It contains the largest collection of reptiles in the Northern Territory. [1] Animals at the centre include the perentie, frill-necked lizards, thorny devils, large and small pythons and venomous snakes including inland taipans, brown snakes, death adders and king brown snakes. [1] The centre is a popular tourist destination, particularly for children. [2]

Contents

The centre is devoted to indigenous reptiles. Many are collected from local properties or from areas about to be burned under the controlled burning program to keep bushfires from threatening local homes. Most of the reptiles end up being relocated to uninhabited areas. The Alice Springs Reptile Centre also doubles as a snake call centre, with the owner and staff going out to homes to remove venomous snakes from places where they might inconvenience people. [1] [3]

History

Founded by Rex Neindorf, a former reptile handler, the centre opened in January 2000, and features over 100 reptiles of 60 different species. Reptiles from the centre have featured in National Geographic Magazine , Wild Relations – Natural Born Cheats on ABC, an American Visa television commercial, New Zealand's The Bounty Hunters television show on TV2, Steve Irwin's Great Escapes on Discovery's Travel Channel and Animal Emergency on Channel 9 Australia. Directors including Frederic Lepage have filmed nature documentaries there. [4]

The centre added a large saltwater crocodile exhibit in 2002, and in 2006 an extension funded by the Australian Tourism Development Program opened, featuring fossils which trace the evolution of reptiles from 200 million years ago to the present. [5]

The centre is adjacent to Billy Goat Hill, which is on Crown land. After several incidents which saw reptiles in the centre killed, management sought to convince local police and the Lands Department to increase security on the hill – a spot frequented by youths and itinerant drinkers. Director of the centre, Rex Neindorf stated these efforts have been unsuccessful. [6]

Attacks on animals

2004

On 8 August 2004, a group of youths broke into the centre and attacked and bludgeoned a crocodile with a ladder and pool equipment. [7] A 13-year-old boy was charged with the attack, and received a two-month suspended sentence and was placed on a good behaviour bond [8] for two years, a sentence seen as overly lenient by the zoo's director. [9] A second youth, a 12-year-old boy, had his six-month jail sentence reduced to a month on appeal. The crocodile suffered cuts and broken teeth, but survived. [10]

2008

On 1 October 2008, a 7-year-old boy attacked animals at the centre. The boy, whose name was not released, was accused of breaking into the zoo while it was closed. He was captured on surveillance video, after jumping a fence at the rear of the zoo. [6] 13 animals were killed, including a 20-year-old 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) Spencer's goanna, [11] [12] a turtle, bearded dragons, and thorny devils. [13] Some of the animals were bludgeoned with a rock, and thrown over the fence to feed Terry, an 11 feet (3.4 m)200 kilograms (440 lb) saltwater crocodile. [14]

The attack lasted 30 minutes. After his arrest, the boy refused to cooperate with police. [14] He was able to break in without tripping the alarm system, [15] and was reported to be expressionless during the rampage. [16] The animal species lost are said to be difficult to replace. [14]

The attack was widely reported in the press, in countries including Australia, Canada, Finland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, and many others. [17] Under Northern Territory laws – which state children under the age of 10 cannot be held legally accountable for their actions – the 7-year-old boy is too young to be charged with a crime, but the zoo director indicated that he would seek to sue his parents. [18] It was reported that the child's care arrangements were being urgently reviewed by the Northern Territory Government. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocodile</span> Family of large reptilian carnivores

Crocodiles or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia, which includes the alligators and caimans, the gharial and false gharial among other extinct taxa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltwater crocodile</span> Reptile of South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania

The saltwater crocodile is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats, brackish wetlands and freshwater rivers from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 1996. It was hunted for its skin throughout its range up to the 1970s, and is threatened by illegal killing and habitat loss. It is regarded as dangerous to humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras Crocodile Bank Trust</span> Herpetology research station in Chennai, India

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (MCBT) is a reptile zoo and herpetology research station, located 40 km (25 mi) south of the city of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The centre is both a registered trust and a recognized zoo under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and comes under the purview of the Central Zoo Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The establishment is located on a 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) site covered by coastal sand forests, along the coast of Bay of Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freshwater crocodile</span> Species of reptile

The freshwater crocodile, also known commonly as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnstone's crocodile, and the freshie, is a species of crocodile native to the northern regions of Australia. Unlike its much larger Australian relative, the saltwater crocodile, the freshwater crocodile is not known as a man-eater, although it bites in self-defence, and brief, nonfatal attacks have occurred, apparently the result of mistaken identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia Zoo</span> Zoo located in the Australian state of Queensland

Australia Zoo is a 700-acre (280 ha) zoo in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains. It is a member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA), and is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter and his family's new show Crikey! It's the Irwins made the zoo a popular tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocodile attack</span> Crocodile attacks on humans

Crocodile attacks on humans are common in places where large crocodilians are native and human populations live. It has been estimated that about 1,000 people are killed by crocodilians each year.

<i>Morelia bredli</i> Species of snake

Morelia bredli is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. No subspecies are recognized. Its common names include Bredl's python, the Centralian python, the Centralian carpet python, the central Australian carpet python, Bredl's carpet python, the central Australian Bredl's carpet python, and the central Bredl's carpet python.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Irwin</span> Australian zookeeper, conservationist and television personality (1962–2006)

Stephen Robert Irwin, known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Reptile Park</span> Zoo in New South Wales, Australia

The Australian Reptile Park is located at Somersby on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is about 71 kilometres (44 mi) north of Sydney, and is just off the M1 Pacific Motorway, near Gosford. The Park has one of the largest reptile collections in Australia, with close to 50 species on display. The wide variety of reptile species at the Park includes snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises, tuataras, American alligators and crocodiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herpetarium</span> Zoological exhibition for reptiles and amphibians

A herpetarium is a zoological exhibition space for reptiles and amphibians, most commonly a dedicated area of a larger zoo. A herpetarium which specializes in snakes is an ophidiarium or serpentarium, which are more common as stand-alone entities also known as snake farms. Many snake farms milk snakes for venom for medical and scientific research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive python</span> Species of snake

The olive python is a species of snake in the family Pythonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

On 4 September 2006, Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and television programmer Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray while filming in the Great Barrier Reef. The stingray's barb pierced his chest, penetrating his thoracic wall and heart, causing massive trauma. He was at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas, Queensland, taking part in the production of an underwater documentary Ocean's Deadliest. During a lull in filming caused by inclement weather, Irwin decided to snorkel in shallow waters while being filmed in an effort to provide footage for his daughter Bindi's television programme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal attacks in Australia</span>

Wildlife attacks in Australia occur every year from several different native species, including snakes, spiders, freshwater and saltwater crocodiles, various sharks, cassowaries, kangaroos, stingrays and stonefish and a variety of smaller marine creatures such as bluebottles, blue-ringed octopus, cone shells and jellyfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballarat Wildlife Park</span> Zoo in Victoria, Australia

The Ballarat Wildlife Park is a wildlife park in Ballarat, Victoria. Opened in February 1985, it is privately owned by founder Greg Parker and his wife, Julia Leonard. The 10-hectare park holds over 300 animals, including Australian animals—there are over 100 free-roaming kangaroos—and an extensive collection of reptiles. It was once well known for housing Patrick, the common wombat who was the oldest known marsupial in captivity when he died aged around 30 years old in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Bredl</span>

Robert Harold Bredl is an Australian documentary film-maker, a reptile specialist and owner of the "Blue Planet Wildlife Park". He became known through his many documentaries, such as Killer Instinct (53 episodes), Deadly Predators (10 episodes), as well as The Barefoot Bushman series (8 episodes). His documentaries are being shown on TV stations in more than 45 countries worldwide. Rob's documentaries have so far been translated into 36 languages. His best known documentary Kissing Crocodiles has been shown in over 100 countries worldwide on Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

The Chennai Snake Park, officially the Chennai Snake Park Trust, is a not-for-profit NGO constituted in 1972 by herpetologist Romulus Whitaker and is India's first reptile park. Also known as the Guindy Snake Park, it is located next to the Children's Park in the Guindy National Park campus. Located on the former home of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, the park is home to a wide range of snakes such as adders, pythons, vipers, cobras and other reptiles. The park gained statutory recognition as a medium zoo from the Central Zoo Authority in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Irwin (conservationist)</span> Australian television personality and conservationist (born 2003)

Robert Clarence Irwin is an Australian conservationist, television personality, zookeeper, wildlife photographer and actor. He is the son of Steve Irwin, and is often noted by fans to share similarities with his late father. Irwin hosts Robert's Real Life Adventures, a program on his family zoo's internal television network. He co-hosted the Discovery Kids Channel television series Wild But True and co-created the book series Robert Irwin: Dinosaur Hunter. He starred on the Animal Planet series Crikey! It's the Irwins with his mother, Terri, and sister, Bindi, from 2018–2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockhampton Zoo</span> Zoo in Queensland, Australia

Rockhampton Zoo is a zoo in the Australian city of Rockhampton, Queensland.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Alice Springs Reptile Centre customer story" (PDF). Australian Department of Industry. April 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  2. ↑ Llewellyn, Marc; Mylne, Lee (2004). Frommer's Australia 2005. Frommer's. p. 383. ISBN   0-7645-7848-0.
  3. ↑ "Reptile centre issues snake warning". ABC. 14 January 2003. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008.
  4. ↑ "Alice Springs Reptile Centre – Reptiles". Alice Springs Reptile Centre. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  5. ↑ "Alice Springs Reptile Centre – Fossil Cave". Alice Springs Reptile Centre. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Centre wants security boost after reptiles killed". ABC. 3 October 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008.
  7. ↑ "Juveniles bludgeon croc in Alice Springs reptile park". Australian Associated Press. 8 August 2004. Retrieved 10 October 2008.[ dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Legal Jargon". Northern Territory Magistrates Courts. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  9. ↑ "Reptile park owner criticises teen attack sentence". ABC. 15 October 2004. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  10. ↑ "Court snaps boy's sentence for attacking crocodile". ABC. 12 May 2005. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  11. ↑ "Boy, 7, goes on animal killing spree in Australian zoo". CBC News. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  12. ↑ "Australian boy wreaks zoo havoc while feeding croc". Reuters. 3 October 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  13. ↑ "Boy, 7, goes on animal killing spree in Australian zoo". CBC.ca. 3 October 2008. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  14. 1 2 3 "Boy fed zoo reptiles to crocodile". BBC.co.uk. 3 October 2008. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008.
  15. ↑ "Boy, 7, breaks into zoo, feeds animals to croc". Associated Press. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  16. ↑ Batty, David (10 March 2008). "Australian boy feeds zoo animals to crocodile". The Guardian . London. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  17. ↑ McCarthy, Noelle (11 October 2008). "Boy's killing spree at zoo hard to stomach". New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  18. ↑ Gelineau, Kristin (3 October 2008). "Australian boy breaks into Outback zoo, bashes lizards, feeds animals to giant crocodile". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  19. ↑ "Reptile park considers taking legal action against 7yo". ABC. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.