It took at five zookeepers at the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby to restrain a female alligator while others raided the nest for eggs.
"There are a couple of reasons we need to remove the eggs," said Tim
Faulkner, Executive Manager of Operations at the Australian Reptile Park. "One
is that alligators are cannibals. If they hatched in here they would be eaten by
all other alligators."
The climate around the Sydney region is also too hot for the eggs to hatch
naturally. The alligator's jaws can produce a lethal force, and around 40 other
alligators were lurking in a nearby lagoon whilst the zookeepers were completing
their task.
YouTube link.
"Female 'gators, they pack a powerful punch, because she's defending a nest
and that means she's giving it her all," Mr Faulkner explained. Fifteen
eggs were collected, and taken away to be incubated in a safe environment. Baby
alligators are expected to hatch after 70 days of incubation.
1 comment:
I wonder who got the short straw and the job of being the last person to climb off the 'gator.
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