Cassius reclaims world’s biggest croc crown
AUSTRALIA: Cassius” has reclaimed his crown as the world's biggest
crocodile in captivity after his rival for the title died, with the huge
reptile's handler in Australia saying Tuesday it will boost business.
The 5.48-metre (17 ft 11ins) crocodile, kept in a park on an island
off Australia's Queensland, held the record until “Lolong”, a 6.17-metre
suspected man-eater, was caught in the Philippines 17 months ago. But
with Lolong's death from a mystery illness on Sunday, Cassius is once
again on top.
“The Guinness Book of World Records contacted us as soon as Lolong
died,” Billy Craig, a croc wrangler at Marineland Melanesia where
Cassius lives, told AFP.
“They said the record will revert back to us. It's definitely good
for business. “We changed the sign to the largest crocodile in captivity
in Australia, so I guess we can now just remove the Australia part and
put it back to the whole world,” he added. A government-sanctioned
hunting party caught Lolong, believed to be around 50 years old, near
the town of Bunawan in the country's remote south in September 2011
after it was suspected of biting the head off a young schoolgirl and of
eating a fisherman.
Its capture made the town famous and Lolong, named after a local
crocodile hunter, became a big tourist attraction.
Cassius, estimated to be 110 years old, has been in captivity for 26
years, having been caught in a Northern Territory river after attacking
boats and biting off outboard motors.
AFP
|