Teenage boys break into Perth Zoo and attack four-metre saltwater crocodile

Two teenage boys have been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly breaking into Perth Zoo after hours and attacking a four-metre saltwater crocodile. The boys, aged 16 and 17, allegedly cut their way into the crocodile enclosure, threw bottles to aggravate the animal, and struck it with a metal pole.

The pair have been charged with criminal damage and animal cruelty. The saltwater crocodile suffered superficial damage, but is reportedly okay and acting normally. Wildlife expert and head tour guide at Venture North Australia, David McMahon, said the teenagers were extremely lucky to escape unharmed. “You’d think breaking into a zoo and then thinking it’s a good idea to go into the crocodile enclosure.

You sort of can’t believe that someone could be that silly but yeah, they certainly got lucky I think,” McMahon told Sunrise. He explained that crocodiles have individual personalities, making the situation even more unpredictable. “One crocodile might be fine to just sit there and relax as you enter. The next crocodile will want to rip your head off,” he said. “These boys would have had absolutely no idea of the individual character of this crocodile. So it’s just a huge risk.”

The incident occurred at night, which McMahon said increased the danger. “Crocodiles are slightly more active at night. They’re opportunistic so they’ll get moving whatever time of the day or night,” he said. “For the boys, they’re going to have a lot less ability to see what’s going on. So definitely a higher risk.” While the crocodile was struck in the head with a pole, McMahon said the reptile should recover. “Crocodiles are pretty tough.

I think he’ll be all right, that big boy,” he said. McMahon suggested the teenagers may not have fully understood the consequences of their actions. “They’re at an age where the consequences and actions part of the brain maybe hasn’t really fired properly yet,” he said. “Hopefully, they’ve learned a solid lesson from this and won’t think about doing anything silly like this in the future.”