Photo: RNZ Ross McNaughton
The author Roald Dahl may have written "No animal is half so vile as Crocky-Wock the Crocodile", but the keepers at Auckland's Butterfly Creek would beg to differ.
Although, even seasoned keepers like Sam O'Callaghan admitted to a little croc-induced anxiety when entering a saltwater crocodile's enclosure, armed only with a bamboo pole with a bit of possum dangling from it.
"Even though I'm fully signed off, I still feel like you need to pee before you do it," he laughed.
The zoo houses New Zealand's only saltwater crocodiles, Goldie and Scar. Both are large males over 5 metres long and weighing in between 500 and 600 kgs.
Keeper Connor Moran explained they are apex predators and have to be kept in separate enclosures "because there'd only be one crocodile left if they weren't".
Photo: RNZ Ross McNaughton
Even in captivity, their hunting instincts remain strong. According to O'Callaghan, it isn't uncommon for the crocodiles to eye up the zoo's visitors.
"You'll see the crocs just follow them around, especially kids" he said. "You'll see their heads pop up when they see lots of small children."
Unsurprisingly, that meant a strict training plan was in place for the staff who chose to work with the crocs.
"It's sort of suited for each person," said Moran.
"Some people it can take a couple months to learn to feed, some people it can take half a year."
Photo: RNZ Ross McNaughton
Part of the training process involved shadowing a more senior keeper, like Moran, in the crocodile enclosure. The trainee will stand a short distance behind the senior keeper, observing how the crocodile moves as it follows the food being offered.
The next step is for the trainee keeper to start guiding the croc.
"I trained Sam," Moran said, "and we did a little bit of a titanic pose with me helping Sam hold the pole and the pool and get Goldie or Scar to do a tail walk."
The 'tail walk' is when the crocodile's entire body clears the water as they attempt to grab the food being dangled above them. While spectacular, the acrobatics aren't just for the crowd's amusement, they help the zoo staff to assess the health of the crocodiles.
"Obviously if they're not feeling too good, they're not going to do those behaviours, which is pretty abnormal," said Moran.
Once fully trained, keepers are able to anticipate the reptile's behaviour, but salt water crocodiles aren't a species you can ever take for granted.
"It's pretty rewarding working with crocodiles," Moran said.
"It's definitely something you've got to be pretty respectful of and respect what the crocodiles are capable of doing and just never be complacent around them."
But no matter how rewarding, it's one job most people are probably happy to leave to the professionals.
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