Croc Tales

Stupid human tricks.

A Vietnamese teenager had his left hand bitten off by a crocodile in a tourist area Saturday after he jumped over a safety barrier and approached the animal kept in an enclosure.

Nguyen Van Thuan, 15, of Duong To commune in Phu Quoc island in southern Vietnam visited the Suoi Tranh tourist center which raises 20 crocodiles and dipped his left hand in the crocodile pond. A two-meter-long, 100kg animal instantly bit off his arm up to the elbow.

Hearing shouts, employees rushed to the scene and took him to a local hospital where he is recovering.

No indication if the boy was wearing a watch. Or if the croc now tocks.



Crikey!

My six nights up a tree, by Crocodile George

An Australian cattle rancher has told how he spent seven days up a tree looking down into the jaws of two hungry crocodiles after stumbling into a swamp crawling with the reptiles.

David George, 53, was knocked unconscious after falling from his horse during a bush-burning operation in north Queensland. Dazed and bleeding after coming round, he remounted his horse hoping it would take him home. Instead it took him to a swamp criss-crossed by crocodile tracks. Surrounded by "salties" - saltwater crocodiles - Mr George realised his only chance was to climb.

The rancher said: "There were some monstrous tracks and the big ones are never far from the nest," he said.

"I couldn't go back. It was too far and too dangerous. So I headed to the nearest high ground and stayed there, hoping someone would come and find me before the crocs did.

"Every night I was stalked by two crocs who would sit at the bottom of the tree staring up at me. All I could see was two sets of red eyes below me, and all night I had to listen to a big bull croc bellowing a bit further out.

He was lucky he could have ended up like this shark.
Look for this to eventually show up on Ultimate Fight TV.

While it looks small against a full-grown crocodile or beside the great white shark, one of the other killers of the ocean, the bull shark is responsible for numerous fatal attacks on humans around the world.

In fact, the great white has often been blamed for a deadly attack on a swimmer when the real culprit is a bull shark.

Which is why even feared salt-water crocodiles, which share river estuary waters with bull sharks in the Northern Territory, tend to keep their distance from them.

Three bull sharks were caught in a lake on the popular Queensland Gold Coast in 2003 after a swimmer was attacked and killed. And just last year a 21-year-old university student was killed by a bull shark on Queensland's Stradbroke Island.

But on this occasion, the 18ft crocodile decided to take on the shark, a creature reported by the respected National Geographical Society as being potentially more dangerous than even the notorious great white.

The two predators became locked in a deadly battle, watched by an astonished fisherman, Mr Indrek Urvet, who was fishing on the banks of the Northern Territory's Daly River.

And speaking of 18 foot Croc's here is one that has gotten away with murder.

Tourists at Bhitarkanika warned against crocodile

Kendrapara, Aug 18: A giant 18-feet crocodile, which had killed five persons in the past, has been exhibiting signs of hostility again at a national park in Orissa, leading authorities to issue a warning to tourists. The amphibious reptile, the largest in the Bhitarkanika national park and a prime tourist attraction, of late has ensconced itself in the Khola water body, the entry point to the national park, official sources said today. "There is every possibility that it may attack humans," the sources said. "Recently we received reports of the reptile attacking fishermen who had a close call," the officials said. It has also devoured three to four heads of cattle in the past few months, they added. The crocodile, a male, has developed a strong dislike for any form of human interference in its habitat, wildlife officials said. Though it attacked and killed five persons, it has not turned on humans in the last 10 years, the sources said.

And it appears that the war between the crocs and the residents in the park continues.

Kendrapara: In the latest outbreak of man-wildlife conflict in the Bhitarkanika National Park, five persons, including two minor children, were injured following attack by violent salt-water crocodiles since past three days while there are reports of agitated locals in Rajnagar tehsil launching assault on the violent species.

India is not the only country with crocs which are protected as an endangered species. And one that has an attitude.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Wildlife rangers want to catch an endangered crocodile that has sparked a rare scare in a coastal Malaysian city after it attacked a man bathing in a river, an official said Wednesday.

Residents have been warned not to swim or fish in northeastern Kelantan state's main river until the 3-meter (10-feet)-long saltwater crocodile is found, said Zaharil Dzulkafly, assistant director of Kelantan's wildlife department.

The reptile has been spotted repeatedly in the river in Kelantan's capital city of Kota Baru over the past two months, but authorities left it alone until it attacked a 60-year-old carpenter Monday. The man struggled free but suffered cuts and bruises.

"Since this accident, of course, we have to catch it," Zaharil said. "We are monitoring it very closely."

Ibrahim Yaakub, the man who was attacked, said he was bitten on his hands and left leg.

"The crocodile, which had a yellowish streak on its tail, began to swim away quickly after I struggled free," he told The Star newspaper.

The saltwater or estuarine crocodile is protected in Malaysia under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

The species can be found in brackish and freshwater regions of Southeast Asia, eastern India and northern Australia.

Croc stew, a dish that bites back.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have caught a smuggler trying to bring 70 crocodiles into the country, state media reported on Monday.

The haul of crocs, each about 70 centimetres (28 inches) and weighing 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), along with baby turtles was made in Guangdong province in the country's far south, a part of the world where locals have famously adventurous eating habits.

But the report by Xinhua news agency said the crocodiles were "ornamental" and were caught with 3,000 baby turtles in the port city of Zhuhai. It did not say where they came from or what happened to the smuggler.

I have heard of watching for falling rocks but falling crocs?!

Crocodile falls 12 floors in escape bid

A CROCODILE survived a fall from the 12th floor of a block of flats in Russia after trying to escape through a window.

Diving out of the window has become a habit for the crocodile, called Khenar, with concerned neighbours saying it was the third time the animal had used that method to flee.

It lost a tooth in the latest fall but was otherwise unscathed. "It seems the owner was not at home when the crocodile came out of the window," a spokesman for the emergencies ministry in Nizhny Novgorod said.

The crocodile was put in a local aquarium to recover from its fall. Within a few hours, its concerned owner came to pick it up and the reptile was last seen being driven away, lying on the back seat of its owner's car.

In Egypt the folks in Cairo are upset that amongst the flotsam and jetsam of debris in the Nile may be a log that is not a log. A log with teeth.

Floating down the Nile's muddy waters on any given day are soda cans, plastic bags, swimming boys, tourists on felucca boats and patches of marsh grasses with birds hitching a ride.

This summer, a crocodile joined the flotsam and jetsam. Or so it seems.

No photos have confirmed the rumor in the two weeks since reports of sightings surfaced, but the Egyptian media have been abuzz. All that's clear is that an animal from the crocodilian family — perhaps a native Nile croc or a foreign alligator — has made its way to the urban waters of the northern Nile, something Cairenes say hasn't happened in living memory.

The officer in charge of the police patrolling the waterways in central Cairo confirms there is, in fact, a reptile in the river.

Nile crocodiles have made a recovery in other parts of Africa since being hunted to the edge of extinction by the 1950s. But they are rare in northern Egypt, and especially in settled areas where people often kill them for their prized hides — and out of fear.

In Florida bullying in the wildlife park is an evictable offense. But sheesh its just a croc's nature.Though I never thought I would see an alligator referred to as a couch potato.

The staff at Gatorland was busy on Wednesday trying to force a crocodile to move, WESH 2 News reported.The crocodile was hiding in a swamp at the park. The reptile apparently wasn't aware it was moving day.Mike Hileman and two others were trying to move the 7-foot saltwater crocodile from its pen because of an attitude problem."The reason we're moving her ... is she's being a bully to some of the animals," Hileman said.Gatorland officials said bullying equals eviction, so the handlers came armed with the help of calf rope, electrical tape and towels.With

"Alligators are like couch potatoes. Crocodiless are more springy, aglile, like athletes -- more aggressive,"

Baby Boomers the Croc Generation?

This Crocodile Nation

Earlier this week, I was talking to a young student who works in my local pub. I was telling him about a bizarre nature documentary I'd seen in which an adult male crocodile began eating its own young shortly after they were born. At the time, I turned to my son and said, "Don't worry; I'm not going to eat you!"

While relating this tale, it suddenly struck me that the UK has become something of a 'crocodile country' because, in financial terms at least, we are also eating our own young. What I mean is that the younger generation is losing out big-time to their parents and grandparents in the wealth stakes.

Indeed, as I explained in The Golden Generation, although people aged over fifty account for a third of the UK population (or twenty million people), these adults own three-quarters (75%) of the UK's entire net wealth. In fact, this age group owns £5.16 trillion of the UK's total wealth of £6.89 trillion, making them WOOPies, or Well Off Older Persons.

With all that wealth they can afford a Chanel Croc bag or shoes.

Italian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo has a fashionable musuem collection in Florence. The shoes in the museum speak the style of famous Hollywood celebrities from the 40s era. In fact, every season Ferragamo re-invents the shoe styles of a Hollywood star in a new avatar, but without altering its classic style. And it’s not just shoes which are re-visited by the luxury maker. Bag models have been reinterpreted too.

There is the top-handle crocodile bag with the ‘Gancino’ ornament, in golden brown, yellow, red and bright green hues. Made of gold kid, multi-coloured suede and crocodile, the collection is further enriched by a small bag with a chain that can also be used as a belt.

My Other Handbag’s in the Shop Clockwise from far left: Azzedine Alaïa shoe, about $1,500. Call 011-331-42-72-19-19. Etro cuff, $480. At Etro, 720 Madison Avenue. Givenchy clutch, $1,630. At Barneys New York and Blake, Chicago. Burberry patent-leather crocodile sandal, $665. At select Burberry stores. Giorgio Armani ring on Plexiglas base, price on request. At Giorgio Armani stores. Versace crocodile bag, $2,640. At Versace stores. Taher Chemirik silver choker with flower, $10,300, and gold ribbon cuff (bottom left), $13,200. Choker at Jeffrey, 449 West 14th Street. Cuff at Susan, Burlingame, Calif. Mark Davis prystal Bakelite and peridot bangle, $1,910. At Barneys New York.

Photo: Dan Tobin Smith

With prices for gator bags and shoes that high is it any wonder this happened?

OREM, Utah (ABC 4 News) - A taxidermist called police early in the morning on August 12 to report that someone had broken into his business.

Police say taxidermist Kenneth Kirkham arrived at his Orem shop to find the door had been kicked in. Kirkham said a large quantity of exotic hides and materials valued at more than $40,000 were missing.

Kirkham said the missing items include leopard skins, a crocodile skull, a replica crocodile head, an alligator skin, ring-tailed cat skins, bobcat skins, and several deer skins.

Is Esperanto the origin of the phrase;" See ya later alligator, in a while crocodile." Nope it was Bill Halley and the Comets.

A few weeks ago, on a sultry day in the western reaches of Hanoi, I crocodiled with an Australian. I also alligatored with a Nepalese and, with a charming young woman from Madagascar, I caymaned — in French.

Most of the time, however, I was trying hard to speak Esperanto, the most enduring and widely used of the international auxiliary languages, tongues invented to foster communication between people from different nations. Esperantists pride themselves on seeing beyond nationality, class, ethnicity and gender, but when it comes to language, they are given to fine distinctions. Krokodili — “to crocodile” — means to speak one’s native language at an Esperanto gathering. It’s one of several no-nos in Esperantujo, the imaginary country conjured into existence whenever Esperantists congregate, as they did in force in Hanoi at the 63rd annual International Youth Congress of Esperanto.

Alligatori means to speak one’s first language to someone speaking it as a second language; kaymani means to carry on a conversation in a language that is neither speaker’s mother tongue. In fact, the only time I heard “Ne krokodilu!” (“Don’t crocodile!”) was from the lips of someone unable to do so: a denasko, or Esperantist “from birth,” the offspring of two love-struck enthusiasts who met, coupled and raised children in their only common tongue. For the vast majority of Esperantists, though, the language is a motherless tongue — something they have chosen to adopt, often using “teach-yourself” guides or online tutorials.

In Australia generations of Australian Aborigines still wait for justice.
And like the crocs they face extinction.

Tears of crocodile man fall in grief for his people

Mandawuy Yunupingu (left) is embraced by dancers from Maningrida at the Garma festival in Arnhem Land.
Photo: Glenn Campbell

SIXTEEN years ago, Mandawuy Yunupingu sang his way into the heart of the nation with the anthem of his people, Treaty, a plea for understanding between black and white Australia.

In every sense, the lead singer of Yothu Yindi, the crocodile man, became the face of reconciliation. The song was an international hit. Yunupingu was named Australian of the Year.

Since then, the 50-year-old has watched the momentum for reconciliation peter out and his hopes for a treaty dissipate.

As the Federal Government pushes through legislation that he believes will further undermine the rights and welfare of indigenous Australians, the man who once held so much hope for a more equitable Australia fears not only for the future of his people but for his own.

In January Yunupingu entered a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre. The man so many thought would never fall was fighting for his life.

"As the saying goes with rock and roll, alcohol and drugs can take you to the road of no return, the road of despair," he said from his home in north-east Arnhem Land. "I now know how much damage excessive consumption of alcohol can do."

Winning the battle for sobriety is just one of Yunupingu's health challenges. He is also diabetic and will soon have dialysis treatment for renal failure. He is a long way from the optimistic voice that spoke from his warrior's heart, a heart that carried the hopes of so many Australians, black and white.

But Yunupingu's story is more than that of another rock music casualty. It is intrinsically tied to the struggle of his people.

His family (the name means "rock that stands against time") is synonymous with the struggle for Aboriginal land rights.

The famous 1963 bark petition from the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land marks the first Aboriginal land claim and hangs in the national Parliament. Elder brother Galarrwuy, a senior elder of north-east Arnhem Land, was Australian of the Year in 1978 and remains a force in Australian politics.

And finally a happy ending, though the croc in this tale turned out to be a dragon.

Escaped 'crocodile' picked up by owners

Turtle the bearded dragon was reunited yesterday with his delighted owners.

Hannah Huynh and Calvin Cam showed up at the Vancouver animal shelter to take their "baby" home.

"We were sure he was dead by now because he can't survive in cold conditions and it rained all [last] weekend," said Huynh, 18.

Hannah Huynh, 18, reunited with her pet lizard, Turtle, at the city pound. Turtle escaped on Sunday and police were called by a man who claimed it was a large crocodile on the loose. The lizard is only 30 centimetres long.

My fascination with crocodiles? Well blame Walt Disney's Peter Pan. I thought the Crocodile was the best character in the movie.

aptain Hook is a pirate with a grudge. Although he fancies himself too clever for an impudent imp like Peter Pan, in their last bout the boy fed Hook's hand to a crocodile. Now Hook wants revenge, and his ship and all its men will stay anchored in Never Land's waters until he gets it. If only he could find Pan's hideout, he'd trap him in his lair. The deed will take diabolical planning and a treacherous streak of charm, and no one takes greater pleasure in both than Hook. If only that dreaded crocodile would stop circling his ship, licking its chops for the rest of him, he might be able to concentrate on the matter at hand ... er ... hook.

The Crocodile: A crocodile who swallowed an alarm clock and is after the remains of Hook; Pan had cut off Hook's hand and threw it to the Crocodile who enjoyed the little appetizer so much, he's been following him ever since. In comics published later on, the character was known as Tick-Tock the Croc. In the books Peter and the Starcatchers/Peter and the Shadow Thieves, he was called Mr. Grin.

SEE:

Godzilla Croc

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Jelly Bean Summit

"They Melt in Your Mouth Not Your Hands."

Here is the official joint statement of the Three Amigos from the SPP / North American Union Summit in Montebello.

Not one mention of jelly beans, which appear to have been a big focus of trade discussions, which of course had to be kept secret.

Nor any mention of intergalactic highways. Which was a witty way for Harper to dismiss protests about this hush hush secret meeting. He was of course making fun of Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's English. Low blow.

The official press release of the Leaders Statements post summit is just the usual neo-con pap about Free Trade, NAFTA, APEC, etc. So the question is; since we all know what the neo-con agenda is, why all the secrecy?

"I'm amused by the difference between what actually takes place in the meetings and what some are trying to say takes place," President Bush said at a news conference in Montebello, Quebec.

"It's quite comical, actually, when you realize the difference between reality and what some people are talking on TV about," Bush said. "You lay out a conspiracy and then force people to try to prove it doesn't exist.

SEE:

Kim Campbell on North American Union

Mother Prevails

Nationalism Will Not Stop North American Union


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Coren Is An Idiot

The evidence is in. In black and white. Michael Coren is an idiot.

And why he has a TV and Radio Talk Show let alone a column in the Sun newspapers shows the shallow depths of the social conservative right wing will dredge to find someone, anyone, who will say anything to cause a controversy.

His opinion on matters is usually outrageous, but the ultimate off the wall comment is his latest column. All 'opinion' and reaction, and being a reactionary of course he will excuse himself, with no factual basis to back up his assertions.

Though you will find his opinion of animals, animal rights and the glorious animal husbandry of farmers shared by members of the Federal Conservative Government as well as rural MLA's and right wingers in the West.

I will excerpt the stupidest and most moronic of his statements. They are not suitable for young children, people with weak hearts, or folks with any heart.

They are the ramblings of mental case who would not matter if he did not have access to the media because they are desperate for right wing commentators to offset the supposed dominance of liberal left news bias.

OK, the evidence is in.

People who are obsessed with the welfare of animals and become hysterical when they hear about a dog or cat being abused are mentally ill.

No need here for compromise or silliness. Animal rights types are mentally ill.

Good God, get a grip! People matter more than animals.

Even bad people matter more than animals.

No relativism please, no soppy arguments about cute puppies compared to mass murderers.

The human spirit and soul is unique and deserves respect, dignity and reverence.

FOR US TO USE

Animals, on the other hand, are there to be used. Not abused, but used. So we can eat them, wear their skins, experiment on them if we can thus improve the human condition.

A million kittens do not one human life make. So if by testing medication on a million kittens we can find a cure for cancer, we should have not a second's pause.

Animals have no rights, but we have responsibilities. To treat them properly.

Farmers do this best because they treat them precisely as animals. Keep them fed and warm, show them affection and care, make them better when sick, but kill them if need be.

But not little Rover or cuddly Whiskers. Because they are dumb they must be special and because they give us pleasure they must be kind. Nonsense. Animals can be cruel, are invariably selfish and exist for us and not us for them.

And right wing columnists who claim to speak for the unborn can be cruel, dumb but must be given special privileges because they speak for those who have yet to exist. And like their fantasy worlds of the before life and after life, they condemn those who live in the here and now to their medieval ideal of hierarchy, man above animals, the King above human rights, and God above Man.

I would be remiss if I did not correct Coren's misleading allegations, assertions, and distortions

Not that he reads my blog, but rather because a letter to the editor while short and pithy does little to refute his over the top column.

First what got Coren's goat was the incident in Toronto this past week. Or more correctly not the incident itself but the reactions to it.

An idiot left his dog in his car with the windows rolled up on a very hot day. The car became a hotbox and the dog's brain was boiling. A Humane Society officer rescued the dog and in the process was confronted by the dogs owner, who interfered in the rescue.

The Humane Officer handcuffed him to his car and took the dog to the emergency vet clinic. The idiot who was broiling his dogs brain seems to have attracted some attention to his blight, and got beat up. As a result the Humane Society officer was suspended from his job. A protest in support of him ensued and Coren considers this an indication animal advocates mental illness.

This image taken from cell phone video shows Cyrus after being rescued.

The real sufferers of mental illness are those who would leave animals in a hot car with the windows closed. And contrary to Coren's relativist assertion that animals are less relevant than humans, these same brain dead types are also the folks who leave children in their cars.

Animal abusers often become human abusers, in fact they often become serial killers, as forensic psychologists will tell you.

And clearly this is the case in Edmonton currently.

Edmonton task force seeking serial cat-killer

Of course using Coren's illogic the police are wasting their time, since;" A million kittens do not one human life make."

Coren's illogic is frighteningly similar to the Nazi's belief that untermenschen were not humans. Once you have determined that there is a difference between humans and the 'other'; animals or humans, you are on that slippery slope to mass species genocide.

Animals have sentience, intelligence through learning, calculative thought processes, communication abilities, etc. But for Coren this matters not they are just dumb animals. It has recently been documented that dogs have the ability to remember hundreds of words, and that in human terms they have the intelligence of a three year old.

Elephants, dolphins, monkeys and apes all cogitate, that is have the capacity to learn, and now we are finding they use tools. Humans domesticated animals in a symbiotic relationship, horses, oxen, dogs, cats, etc. Not by force but through mutual aid to meet each others needs.

It was with development of capitalist agriculture that animals were seen as beasts of burden, not unlike the indentured servant, the serf and slave, those who were disposed of their land due to the English encroachment acts.

When Coren praises farmers as having a sympathetic understanding of the animals in their care, one must be forgiven for LOL. Farmers, ranchers and the like view their animals as property just as their fore bearers did. One can see the sympathetic treatment of animals at the rodeo, where horses who 'would be sold for horse meat" are sacrificed in the horror show that is chuckwagon races.

Coren's over the top rant is not much different from the arguments put forward by Reform/Alliance/Conservative MP Myron Thompson who has opposed strengthening Canada's woefully inadeuate animal protection laws, in order to protect rodeos. The laws concerning animal cruelty date back to 1892.

Since he claims to be a convert to Catholicism I would remind Coren of the venerable Saint Francis of Assisi who saw all creatures as part of Gods Creation, and not dumb animals to be processed, mutilated, tortured, abused, etc. Of course Saint Francis is not Coren's kind of Catholic, since he also was a pacifist as well as animal rights activist.

And speaking of St. Francis of Assisi, and dumb animals, this coyote proves Coren wrong.

Chicago City Animal Care and Control workers unsuccessfully tried Monday afternoon to catch a coyote that has been running wild in the Lincoln Park neighborhood for several days.

For two hours, three workers in three trucks couldn't grab the coyote that ran near children, dog walkers and eventually Cardinal Francis George's residence in the nearby Gold Coast neighborhood. At one point, the animal rested near a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment.

Workers finally gave up their hunt when the coyote slipped away again into a backyard area of George's home.

Dumb animal indeed. Gave dem workers da slip. And knowing Chicago is a Sanctuary City, this illegal alien sought sanctuary from Saint Francis and on Catholic Church property. Indeed Chicago has the largest urban coyote population in North America. That is one Wiley E. Coyote.

SEE:

Animal Crimes

Katrina: It's a Dog-Gone Crime

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

We Love Animals

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