A monster was killed!!

[RepTylE]

I am kind of nuts about this kind of thing. The way I see it, if you are in an animal's environment you are entering the food chain. Myself, I would most likely avoid areas where a croc like that is known to reside. If one person is taken then odds are that another one could be lunch too so to keep going to the same place seems a little dumb.
Same thing with sharks....if you go swimming in the ocean you are putting yourself on the menu. I don't like the idea of persecuting an animal just for doing what they do.

[Removed_2815]

Reptyle, I like the way you think...
Ryan

[BAZ]

Its true.. we sentence the animal as if it was a human criminal.

There has to be some kind of balance though because ultimately it is humans who are on top of the food chain. We eat sharks, crocodiles, alligators etc. Ultimately we are the caretakers of this planet.

I can understand killing an animal if it is a constant threat to a human population.. for example if a leopard is coming into a village and attacking children you will end up shooting it. Remote, poor areas don’t have the money or means for things like relocation etc for animals that have become a threat.

With crocodiles I think people could get around the problem by building simple barriers and piers to get to their water supply at the river without having to go to the waters edge or in the same water that may have a large croc in it. Combine that with education in local villages and schools and you will have the problem solved and it won’t take thousands of dollars either.

[RepTylE]

I was thinking much the same thing, BAZ. There may be some parts of the story that we are lacking but in the case of crocs, it would be relatively easy to just stay clear of the danger area in my opinion.
I seriously doubt that a croc comes down main street gobbling up children as they go.

[Paleosuchus]

I think what was done to this animal was horrible to say the least. But i look at it this way, when a american alligator here, poses a threat there's a good chance it will be put down. Such as animal cops Miami. A 6 footer ate a dog posed a threat and they killed it. Aswell as all the other cases on that show and throughout FLorida. If that animal was anywhere else it would have been killed on site ( with some exceptions), or with more tolerance the first death it may have been killed. These people allowed numerous deaths before saying enough was enough. I bet it was just as hard as for them to kill this animal. Not sure what to think being this isn't or doesnt sound like the full story.

[RepTylE]

Originally posted by RMBolton
Reptyle, I like the way you think...
Ryan

Well it just seems arrogant of mankind to think themselves above the laws of nature when they go out there and put themselves at risk. Not like the idea of being a meal, then stay away from the restaurant is all I been saying.


I don't want to demean the deaths of the people involved but I can't stop thinking that it could have been avoided to a certain extent.
It is tragic when people are killed no two ways around it but nature has a way of thinning the herd and if you are stupid enough to be in the wrong place and you know it is not a safe area, you are basically putting yourself in jeopardy.

[thunder]

just a note: it is very difficult to relocate crocs and gators; they have an excellent homing instinct and will travel very long distances return to their place of origin. it would have been nice to have that big fellow in a zoo where he could be controlled, but the expense of mainaining such an animal may well be prohibitive, especially in a third world country. for native people who rely on the river for their water needs, i dont think it would be a matter of carelessness or baiting that led to these deaths (unlike in the us where it is almost always the case). an animal of that size is truly amazing and wonderful, too bad that he could not have been perserved, although he was probably pretty old at the time of his death. as for captivity versus death, i believe that an animal like that could be well cared for and live a fulfilling life in captivity, unlike some more active and or intelligent species. if you think it would be a life imprisionment, why do you keep captive reptiles of your own?

[chas*e]

It was a bummer that the Croc was killed but relocation might not have been an option, budgets being what they are....it would be hard to ask the local population for money to help an animal that just ate the paperboy or whomever....people are hunting to kill, a great white shark in Australia today, who attacked some surfer. The thing that does bother me is we/people are on/in the croc/shark's turf..so the animal is just doing what comes naturally, ...Sad....but it doesn't mean the victims"had it coming" as was said on a previous post about a "Croc attack video"

[JimmyDavid]

For a good reason the "death penalty" is top of the list, even above "life". Because it's the worst fate possible: termination of existence. I think that an animal with good captivity conditions, food and space can live a fairly happy life.
Reptiles are always trying to escape, even when they have good conditions, but that doesn't mean they are unhappy. It's just that "escaping" is a priority prompted in their little brains. Dogs, wich are more brain-capable, actually exchanged the wild for the confort of captivity long ago, and get quite unhappy when dumped (wich would mean freedom for a reptile). think about that!

[ohh_kristina]

It is definitely too bad that it is dead. Something that has lived that long should be able to live it's life to a natural death. Unfortunately, sometimes it is necessary to "get rid" of "problem" animals. It could have been taken to some sort of animal sanctuary, though. There are a lot of better ways to deal with animals like that than to just kill them. Gorgeous animals, though. Wouldn't it be amazing to see something like that living in it's natural habitat? From a distance of course!

[BoAddict]

jimmy are you a vegan ?

if not then come down off your pedastal of animal rights

yea its too bad that it happened the way it does but there is nothing you or i can do about it

well yea there is you can move there and live amongst the animals and the people and when its your kid or mother brother father whom ever maybe you will change your tune.

[joey]

Originally posted by chas*e
It...Sad....but it doesn't mean the victims"had it coming" as was said on a previous post about a "Croc attack video"

a little different from the 'croc attack video'
where the guy was smacking the animal, don't you think?

[bistrobob85]

In my opinion, the croc should have lived. Are we going to kill the Earth because it sent us a earthquake? Killing back an animal is one of the dumbest thing i've heard about. Do you think the other animals are going to learn a lesson from it!?!? NO?!? So its not worth the butchery!!! I know the families are going to be angry about their child being swallowed by a croc but the animal doesnt have to suffer because of it's accidental role in the food chain...

phil.

[snakehunter]

That is sad, maybe I am sick or twisted but I think that if you live in an area with animals that have to potenetial to kill you should arm yourself. WAIT! Not with guns and ammunition, but knowledge, KNOW what snakes are harmfull, KNOW the area you are working/playing in if there are monster crocs and such about, I feel if you are not smart enough to prepare yourself and avoid areas where bad situations are inevitable, and something happens TOO $%^&*(@$%# BAD. Just because you are ignorant and too lazy to educate yourself and your children doesnt mean that you have the right as a human to decide the life of another animal whom is acting on instinct and opportunity.
-Jacob

[SCReptiles]

Once these things become verified man-eaters, they have to be put down. Sure capturing them and putting them in a zoo sounds good on paper, but someone still has to care for them in captivity and by this point they have already began to associate people with food. The risk is too gate to keepers. Enough keepers are injured as is, we don’t need to put them in the position of cleaning up for man-eaters. One slip and fall, keeper is dead. The risk does not justify the outcome.

I have a theory I want to put forth, would like you guys more experienced in crocs then I am to comment. Crocs growth through out the duration of their life. So, the larger crocs must be very old. Seems many of these crocs are known man-eaters. Case in point the world record salty listed in the record book. He was a known man-eater. And for the minute we will assume this report is true that this one was a man-eater. Look at the teeth of this guy, you know he was old. I am thinking perhaps these animals are at the end of their lives and not quite as strong as they once were. Taking down a wildebeest or buffalo is a pretty tall order. Perhaps the larger, older crocs take to man-eating because they are an easy target and put up little resistance. Any other opinions on this?