SYDNEY, Australia - A 7-year-old boy broke into a popular Outback zoo, fed a string of animals to the resident crocodile and bashed several lizards to death with a rock, the zoo's director said Friday.
The 30-minute rampage, caught on the zoo's security camera, happened early Wednesday after the boy jumped a security fence at the Alice Springs Reptile Center in central Australia, said zoo director Rex Neindorf.
The child then went on a killing spree, bashing three lizards to death with a rock, including the zoo's beloved, 20-year-old goanna, which he then fed to "Terry," an 11-foot, 440-pound sal****er crocodile, said Neindorf.
The boy also fed several live animals to Terry by throwing them over the two fences surrounding the crocodile's enclosure, at one point climbing over the outer fence to get closer to the giant reptile.
In the footage, the boy's face remains largely blank, Neindorf said, adding: "It was like he was playing a game."
By the time he was done, 13 animals worth around $5,500 had been killed, including a turtle, bearded dragons and thorny devil lizards, Neindorf said. Although none were considered rare, some are difficult to replace, he said.
"We're horrified that anyone can do this and saddened by the age of the child," Neindorf said.
Alice Springs police said they are unable to press charges against the boy because of his age. Children under age 10 can't be charged with criminal offenses in the Northern Territory. His name was not released because of his age.
Neindorf said he plans to sue the boy's parents.
The boy's small size is probably the reason he didn't trip the zoo's security system, which relies on sensors to detect intruders, Neindorf said.
"I just want people to learn that they can't let their children go and run amok," Neindorf said. "If we can't put the blame onto the child, then someone has to accept the responsibility."
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When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before. - Mae West
Holy crap that kid has some balls... bashing a goanna with a rock is pretty badass. Those things will rip you up in seconds... Think cassowaries in lizard form. As for the others... I can find most of them in my backyard just about any day.
They tend to breed these kinds of delinquents in that part of the country.
the expressionless face is the creepiest bit. that, and the fact hes only 7. 7 year olds should be into toy trucks and going 'look at the pretty panda :)' at the zoo rather than 'hello lizzard me go bang bang on your head' i hope they manage to sue the parents...
I haven't heard anything about this on the news.... but then again I haven't been going out of my way to listen to it. But, seriously the folk in Central Australia are weird inbred hicks. I'm gonna appear racist here but 10 bucks says that the kid was Aboriginal.
I haven't heard anything about this on the news.... but then again I haven't been going out of my way to listen to it. But, seriously the folk in Central Australia are weird inbred hicks. I'm gonna appear racist here but 10 bucks says that the kid was Aboriginal.
You should just give the aborigines reservations and let them open casinos.
We used to give them all the petrol that they could sniff.... Now the government has kicked them in the balls again by making them use that opal fuel stuff that can't be sniffed.