Two teenagers have been charged after allegedly breaking into Perth Zoo and attacking a four-metre saltwater crocodile in its enclosure.
The boys, aged 16 and 17, are accused of cutting their way into the enclosure at night, throwing bottles to aggravate the animal and hitting it with a metal pole. They face charges of criminal damage and animal cruelty.
The crocodile suffered superficial damage and was said to be behaving normally after the incident.
David McMahon, a wildlife expert and head tour guide at Venture North Australia, said the pair were fortunate to have escaped 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,” he said.
Mr McMahon said crocodiles had individual personalities, making the teenagers’ actions particularly dangerous.
“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.
He added that the teenagers would have had no way of knowing how the crocodile might react, while the darkness increased the risk.
“Crocodiles are slightly more active at night. They’re opportunistic so they’ll get moving whatever time of the day or night,” Mr McMahon said.
Although the crocodile was struck on the head with the pole, he said the reptile was likely to recover.
“Crocodiles are pretty tough. I think he’ll be all right, that big boy,” he said.
Mr McMahon suggested the teenagers might not have fully appreciated the consequences of their actions, and hoped they had learned from the incident.
