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CRIKEY, an orange croc! At first glance, it looks like "Snappy" has tanned up for the Brownlow. But the cranky chameleon has no one to blame but himself for changing colour - after apparently biting off more than he could chew. Owner Tracey Sandstrom, who runs Roaming Reptiles, said Snappy made a meal out of the filter in his water tank. "I think it caused the pH levels in his water to soar which has led to the change in colour." She was stunned when her prized pet turned bright orange. "Snappy's pretty territorial and he attacked the filter...

The 21-foot, 600-kg seawater crocodile caught in Agusan del Sur may very well be the largest one captured but certainly not the first nor will it perhaps be the last one to be captured in the wild. Project director Ronald Nuer of the Bunawan Municipal Council said it took them 21 nights to snare the behemoth which, to the alarm of those who caught it, twice got out the restraining ropes before it was finally tied down after which it became overly “aggressive" three times. Nuer added that according to the Palawan Wildlife Conservation Center which helped capture the crocodile,...

A STOWAWAY crocodile on a flight escaped from its carrier bag and sparked an onboard stampede that caused the flight to crash, killing 19 passengers and crew. The croc had been hidden in a passenger's sports bag - allegedly with plans to sell it - but it tore loose and ran amok, sparking panic. A stampede of terrified passengers caused the small aircraft to lose balance and tip over in mid-air during an internal flight in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The unbalanced load caused the aircraft, on a routine flight from the capital, Kinshasa, to the regional airport at...

MANANGOORA, Australia, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A photo of a giant crocodile in Australia's Northern Territory News sparked a dispute about where the picture was taken and who owns the image. Jeida Francis, 23, said the reptile was killed in 1997 because it was attacking cattle in the Northern Territories community of Manangoora, the Northern Territories News reported Thursday. "I remember when it happened. My aunt took the photo," Francis said. He said the picture was posted to Facebook two years ago by his cousin, who appears in the picture. However, Chas Cole, from Katherine, Queensland, claims the picture was...

Known as the 'Crocodile Man', Costa Rican animal lover 'Chito' swims, plays and even feeds 'Pocho' the giant crocodile in what is one of the world's most unlikely friendships. Wading chest-deep through the green water in a 100 sq/m lake in Siquirres, this bizarre and dangerous spectacle draws tourists from around the world. Calling quietly for his five metre long 'companion' before thrashing around, lifting his tail and head above the water. 'This is a very dangerous routine but Pocho is my friend and we have a good relationship,' says 52-year-old Chito. 'He will look me in the eye and...

A WOMAN from NSW drove her car into a croc-infested river on the fringe of Kakadu National Park after confusing a boat ramp for a road crossing. Her four-wheel-drive became submerged in the East Alligator River, about 300 kilometres east of Darwin, last Thursday. The mishap has prompted police to issue a warning about the ``number and size of crocodiles'' in remote NT waterways, and the need for drivers to take extra care in the outback. Police from the remote community of Oenpelli were contacted about 9am (CST) on July 10. They were told the tourist had scrambled from the...

A TERRITORY croc sought the safety of a bar after it was caught lurking on a verandah in Darwin's rural area. Witness Peter Donovan said the bar visitor was a "unique Territory experience". The 1m freshwater crocodile shot through the legs of Mr Donovan's son Jarred, 16, when the teen surprised the reptile at his Howard Springs home last Wednesday. It then found sanctuary behind the bar in the house's entertainment area.

The crocodile locked its jaws around its victim's legs A woman has been rescued from the jaws of a saltwater crocodile in Australia after her husband jumped onto its back and forced it to flee. The attack took place in the Litchfield National Park near Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory. The crocodile lunged at its victim as she stood on the banks of a river, locking its jaws around her legs before trying to drag her into the water. Police have said the heroism of her husband almost certainly saved her. He leapt onto the large reptile's back, gouging...

A TOURIST who had drunk 12 cans of beers before being attacked by a crocodile while swimming in a Queensland river fell asleep at his campsite before going to hospital for treatment. Matt Martin was camping in an area of the northeastern state of Queensland known to be inhabited by crocodiles when he drank what he later described as half a slab - or 12 cans of beer. When he dived into the river at Cow Bay in the topical far north of the state, he landed on a crocodile. After a brief wrestling match with the reptile, Martin emerged...

<p>FIVE people were needed to haul a 300kg crocodile from a Northern Territory river popular with locals for water sports.</p> <p>The 3.7m male saltwater crocodile was dragged from Howard River at Howard Springs, about 40km south of Darwin, early today.</p>

As the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin made a name for himself around the world. But at the end of the day, he was just an "ordinary bloke." In the first public remarks from Irwin's family since his death on Monday, his father, Bob Irwin, said the family would probably decline the Australian government's offer of a state funeral for his son, because Irwin would not have wanted the fuss of such a formal proceeding. "The state funeral would be refused, because he's an ordinary guy, he's just an ordinary bloke," the elder Irwin said at a press conference at Australia...

Irwin family offered state funeralSTEVE Irwin will get a state funeral if that's what his family wants, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says. The 44-year-old media personality and environmentalist died yesterday when a stingray barb punctured his heart while he was filming a nature documentary off the coast of Port Douglas in north Queensland.... Asked if his government would honour Irwin with a state funeral, Mr Beattie replied: "We will honour Steve Irwin in whatever way his family wants." But first it was important to let his wife Terry and two young children, who recently returned to Queensland from Tasmania, deal...

Steve Irwin dead at 44, diving and killed by a stingray. Survived by wife and two children, RIP. Reports: Australia’s ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin killed The Associated Press Monday, September 4, 2006 Brisbane, Australia — Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and environmentalist known as the “Crocodile Hunter,” was killed Monday by a stingray during a diving expedition, Australian media said. He was 44. Irwin was filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Queensland state when the accident occurred, Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on its Web site. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said...

POLICE have been called to a local waterway at Cromer in Sydney's northern beaches area after receiving reports of a crocodile on the loose. The reptile, which is believed to be a saltwater crocodile, is reportedly eating carp in a natural spring in an industrial unit block on South Creek Road. It is reported to be about 50 to 60cm in length and is a protected species. Police are working with the Australian Reptile Park and an attempt will be made to capture the crocodile tonight. Once captured it will be placed in a suitable animal park. It is not...

Almost one in three people bitten by deadly saltwater crocodiles in Australia had been drinking alcohol before the animal attacked, new research has found. An Australian review of unprovoked crocodile attacks on humans between 1971 and 2004 found that 29 percent of the 62 attacks had involved some alcohol consumption by the victim. "About one-third of the people who had been attacked had actually been drinking alcohol," study co-author Charlie Manolis told AFP Wednesday. "But it doesn't mean they were ... (drunk) when they fell into the river -- although it did happen." Manolis said the research found that crocodiles...

Uganda Nabs 16-Foot-Long, Man-Eating Croc KAMPALA, Uganda (Reuters) - A 5-meter-long (16 ft) crocodile said to have eaten more than 80 people has been caught alive in Uganda and transferred to a sanctuary, officials said Tuesday. The giant beast -- weighing about a ton-- was captured by wildlife experts who spent three nights camping in the bush before locating their target. Residents told local media the crocodile killed 83 people over the last two decades, mostly fishermen plying their trade on Lake Victoria off the shores of Bugiri district. "Much as the residents of Luganga wanted to kill the reptile...

Ananova: 'Croc saved me from tsunami' A Sri Lankan pensioner claims he was saved from the tsunami by a crocodile which nudged him back to shore. Upali Gunasekera says the estuarine crocodile was one which regularly visited the garden of his house in Matara. Mr Gunasekera was strolling in the garden, which overlooks a river and the sea, when the tsunami struck and was washed away. He clutched a floating stool with one hand and a chair with the other and managed to stay afloat until a wave knocked them from his grip. That was when he saw what he...

  Survivor ... Drewe Ramsden escaped crocodile attack   Giant croc had me by the head From FRANK THORNE in Sydney A SHAKEN lad told yesterday how a frenzied crocodile gripped his head in its jaws. Drewe Ramsden, 18, had just bent down to freshen his face in a river when the beast pounced. The attack happened in a basin named Lake Placid — ironically the name of a Hollywood movie about a man-eating croc. The teenager, who was drinking with pals at night in Cairns, Australia, did not notice as the 8ft crocodile swept towards him, pushing a...

In a sworn statement to be made public Tuesday, University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman said a four-letter word used toward women can sometimes be used as a "term of endearment." The comment comes from Hoffman's latest sworn testimony in connection with a federal lawsuit against the university. The suit was filed by women who say they were sexually assaulted by CU football players and recruits. A lawyer for one of the women asked Hoffman about former CU kicker Katie Hnida being called the "c- word" by a teammate. That player was later disciplined by coach Gary Barnett for making...

Crocodile hunter Steve Irwin has defended his decision to hold his baby son while feeding a crocodile, saying it was important to teach kids about danger. Friday's incident at Mr Irwin's Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast made headlines internationally and prompted comparisons with Michael Jackson's notorious dangling of his baby over a balcony. Mr Irwin also earned a reprimand from Queensland's Department of Family Services. At a media conference outside the zoo and flanked by his father Bob, wife Terri and daughter Bindi, Mr Irwin claimed he was hurt by the allegations of child neglect. "I am hurt. I...

UN Rebukes Britain For Failing To Implement Children's Treaty Last fall the United Nations published its observations on how the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has implemented the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (C/ROC). The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) gave consideration to the reports submitted by the United Kingdom in September 2002 and published a response under article 44 of the Convention. This report is of grave concern to homeschool families and is an example of how the Committee would seek to have control over US policy if this treaty...

BLANTYRE, Malawi, Dec 12, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- A businessman who was attacked by a crocodile in Malawi escaped by biting the reptile on its nose, police said Thursday. Mac Bosco Chawinga, 43, went for a swim in a lake in the northern Nkhata Bay district of this southern African nation when the crocodile grabbed him, said Bob Mtekama, a senior police officer in the area. "Both his arms were inside the full-size crocodile's jaws and the beast was dragging him into deeper waters when he decided to fight back," Mtekama said. Chawinga sunk his teeth in the...