Alice Springs Reptile Centre

The Alice Springs Reptile Centre is a privately operated reptile centre and environmental education facility in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It has the largest collection of reptiles in the Northern Territory.cite web|url=http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/library/alice_springs_reptile_centre_DIISR_2706200820080725042744.pdf|title=Alice Springs Reptile Centre customer story|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=Australian Department of Industry|date=April 2007] Animals at the centre include the Perentie Goanna, Frill-necked Lizards, Thorny Devils, large and small pythons and venomous snakes including Inland Taipans, Brown Snakes, Death Adders and Mulga Snakes.

The center is devoted to indigenous reptiles. Many are collected from local homes, yards, or from areas about to be burned under the controlled burning program to keep summer grass fires from threatening the local homes. Most of the reptiles end up being relocated to uninhabited areas. The Alice Springs centre also doubles as a snake call centre, with the owner and staff coming out to homes to remove poisonous snakes from inconvenient places.

History

Founded by Rex Neindorf, a former reptile handler, the centre opened in January 2000, and features over 100 reptiles, of 30 different species. Reptiles from the centre have featured in "National Geographic Magazine", "Natural Born Cheats" on ABC, an American Visa television commercial, New Zealand's "Bounty Hunter" television show, and "Animal Hospital" on Channel 9 Australia. Directors including Frederic Lepage have filmed nature documentaries there. [cite web|url=http://www.reptilecentre.com.au/reptiles.htm|title=Alice Springs Reptile Centre - Reptiles|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=Alice Springs Reptile Centre]

The centre added a large Saltwater Crocodile exhibit in 2002, and in 2006 an extension funded by the Australian Tourism Development Program opened, featuring fossils which trace the evolution of reptiles from 200 million years ago to the present. [cite web|url=http://www.reptilecentre.com.au/fossilcave.htm|title=Alice Springs Reptile Centre - Fossil Cave|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=Alice Springs Reptile Centre]

The centre is adjacent to Billygoat Hill, which is Crown land. The centre, which is privately owned, reports that efforts to increase security on Billygoat Hill, which is frequented by youths and alcoholics, has been unsuccessful. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/03/2381021.htm?site=alicesprings]

Attacks on animals

2004

On August 8 2004, a group of youths broke into the centre and attacked and bludgeoned a crocodile with a ladder and pool equipment. [cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-97417815.html|title=Juveniles bludgeon croc in Alice Springs reptile park|publisher=Australian Associated Press|date=2004-08-08|accessdate=2008-10-10] A 13 year old boy was charged with the attack, and received a two month suspended sentence and was placed on a good behaviour bond for two years, a sentence seen as overly lenient by the zoo's director. [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nt/alice/200410/s1221011.htm|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|title=Reptile park owner criticises teen attack sentence|date=2004-10-15|accessdate=2008-10-10] A second youth, a 12-year-old boy, had his six month jail sentence reduced to a month on appeal. The crocodile suffered cuts and broken teeth, but survived. [cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/australia/nt/alice/200505/s1367121.htm|publisher=ABC|title=Court snaps boy's sentence for attacking crocodile|date=2005-05-12|accessdate=2008-10-10]

2008

On October 1 2008, a seven-year-old boy went on a rampage attacking animals in a zoo at the centre. The boy, whose name was not released, was accused of breaking into the zoo while it was closed. He was captured on surveillance video.

13 animals were killed, including a 20-year-old convert|5|ft|9|in|m Perentie Goanna [cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081003/wl_nm/us_australia_zoo|title=Australian boy wreaks zoo havoc while feeding croc|publisher=Reuters|date=2008-10-03|accesdate=2008-10-10] , a turtle, Bearded Dragons, and Thorny Devils [cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/10/03/australia-zoo.html|title=Boy, 7, goes on animal killing spree in Australian zoo|date=2008-10-03|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=CBC.ca] . Some of the animals were bludgeoned with a rock, and thrown over the fence to feed Terry, a convert|11|ft|m Saltwater Crocodile.cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7649876.stm|title=Boy fed zoo reptiles to crocodile|date=2008-10-03|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=BBC.co.uk]

The attacks lasted 30 minutes. The boy refused to cooperate during interrogation after he was caught by the police. He was able to break in without tripping the alarm system, [cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/03/australia.zoo.carnage.ap/index.html|title=Boy feeds Aussie zoo's animals to croc|date=2008-10-03|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=CNN] and was reported to be expressionless during the rampage. [cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/03/australia.animalwelfare|last=Batty|first=David|date=2008-03-10|accessdate=2008-10-10|publisher=The Guardian|title=Australian boy feeds zoo animals to crocodile]

The attack was widely reported in the press, in countries including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, and many others. Under Northern Territory laws — which state children under the age of 10 cannot be held accountable for their actions — the 7-year-old boy is too young to be charged with a crime, but the zoo director indicated that his parents would be sued. [cite web|url=http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-australia-zoo-carnage,0,233921.story|title=Australian boy breaks into Outback zoo, bashes lizards, feeds animals to giant crocodile|publisher=South Florida Sun-Sentinel|date=2008-10-03|accessdate=2008-10-10|last=Gelineau|first=Kristin] The animal species lost are said to be difficult to replace.

References

External links

* [http://www.reptilecentre.com.au/|title=Alice Springs Reptile Centre - Official Website]