- 1 year ago
Season 1 (1996-1997)
Filmed in 1992. Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri, spend their honeymoon trapping and rescuing crocodiles in Australia.
Filmed in 1992. Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri, spend their honeymoon trapping and rescuing crocodiles in Australia.
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TVTranscript
00:00This is a test.
00:30Sometimes it's hard running a wildlife park where most of the inhabitants want to kill you.
00:50Steve and I operate the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park on the Sunshine Coast just north of Brisbane.
00:56We've got everything from kangaroos and wallabies to snakes and lizards, tortoises, cassowaries, alligators, and of course crocodiles.
01:05And believe me, at times they can all be a bit of a problem.
01:09I guess without leaving home, I can risk my life every day.
01:12About seven years ago, I volunteered to National Parks and Wildlife Service to catch and relocate rogue crocodiles.
01:19This means the big ones, the ones that happen to be where people are encroaching on them.
01:23It's not really the croc's fault.
01:25My dad used to catch crocodiles, so I've grown up with it.
01:28I guess it's a dying art.
01:30Steve's just been called on to catch and relocate a 15-foot monster in far north Queensland.
01:37So stay with us for a pretty amazing adventure, the kind of stuff you just don't see anymore.
01:42Yeah, dealing with crocodiles in the park is dangerous enough, I guess.
01:46But there's a big difference dealing with them in the wild on their home ground.
01:50We're in their territory.
01:52And especially in deep water.
01:54I think we'd be safer staying around here with some of our cuddlier guys.
01:59Like our alligator snapping tortoises.
02:04Whatever you do, don't get your fingers or hands there or he'll take them clean off.
02:08So just on his left-hand side under his neck there.
02:12He'll take your hand off.
02:16He'll get you.
02:20Any lesions there?
02:22No, his feet are smooth.
02:23Great, great. What about these back ones?
02:25I'm looking. Don't let him down, okay?
02:29Oh, you've got cute little feet.
02:31Just look for the lesions.
02:32He's fine.
02:33Good, good.
02:34He's fine.
02:35You're very beautiful.
02:36Sorry, mate.
02:37You've got a little piece of grass on your nose.
02:43Oh, he's beautiful.
02:45He looks like a rock.
02:47It's a real delight to get to work with animals that aren't going to take your arm off.
02:51Like this little orphan joey.
02:53He's very special.
02:54The scary part is he will eventually grow up.
02:57And treating an adult kangaroo can be a bit of a drama.
03:00This is an angry adult male grey kangaroo.
03:03Extremely powerful and very awesome to be dealing with.
03:08The trick is to cut down the stress on him and the stress on me.
03:12Just giving him a simple injection can be a nightmare.
03:16Watch it.
03:17This struggle might look pretty intense, but I'm being very careful.
03:20As I've already been scarred for life by this animal, I made a mistake.
03:24Okay, okay. I'm going to stick him. It's going to burn a little, so hang on.
03:33A little bit of it came out, but I got almost all of it in.
03:35Okay. Ready? Back off, back off.
03:37I'm back, I'm back.
03:39Woo! Beautiful job!
03:42Beautiful job!
03:44I hope we never have to do that again.
03:46You're a braver man than I. How much of the meat did he take off you?
03:48Oh, nothing.
03:49Good deal. Good deal.
03:51One of those flies.
03:53You'd have had your little pieces.
03:55Give me a crocodile any day.
03:57All of these crocodiles in here, I caught by hand by jumping on them out of a boat.
04:02I was only 12 years old.
04:04These ones here, these are freshwater crocodiles.
04:06Really easy to tell a freshwater croc from a saltwater croc.
04:09You can see, very long, narrow snout.
04:12Not turning around, not trying to bite me, not aggressive at all.
04:17Hey, hey, stop. Cut it out. Your teeth are too sharp.
04:20Even though she looks like she's very aggressive, she's just a bit hungry and chasing some tucker.
04:25Yeah, as you can see, they haven't got an aggressive streak in their body.
04:31Freshwater crocodile.
04:33All these crocodiles have been hand-fed since I caught them.
04:36And having hand-fed them, I resemble a food source.
04:40Whenever I go into the enclosure and they're hungry, they'll attack out of the water, a show of teeth.
04:46And what they're saying is, please feed me.
04:53These are American alligators.
04:55They're the Fang sisters.
04:57And I really enjoy getting in there, having a talk and having a play with them.
05:00They're not as quick or as aggressive as crocodiles.
05:03You may not be afraid of them, but I know that an alligator of this size has the strength to take your arm off.
05:09I certainly don't want to get in there and play with them.
05:12You're right there. They're very powerful animals.
05:15And combine that with 3,000 pounds per square inch closing pressure in their jaws, a little mistake can be a big wound.
05:23Aren't they placid? This is the difference between crocodiles and alligators.
05:27Alligators are just so quiet, really, really placid.
05:30The thing with crocodiles is...
05:32Uh-uh, that's your sister's foot.
05:34Don't touch your sister's foot.
05:36The thing with crocodiles is you come in, if you even touch them by the tail, they're just going to spin around and take your head off really, really quick.
05:43Alligators, they're very mechanical, very quiet, very approachable.
05:48There's no element of danger for me here whatsoever.
05:52I can walk in and around her.
05:54She'll just move away.
05:55She'll just walk away from me.
05:58Only when you're touching around the front end there.
06:01Hear that hissing?
06:02That's stay away from me or I'm going to bite you.
06:04If that was a crocodile, whammo, swing around on the pack, rip my arm off.
06:10G'day, girl.
06:12G'day, girl.
06:14This is Mary.
06:15She's the grandma of all crocodilians.
06:17She'd be over 100 years old and well over 10 feet, which is huge for a female crocodile.
06:23Rarely do they grow that large.
06:25Her maternal instincts are very strong.
06:27You go near her nest and she'll kill you.
06:30You're a good girl, eh?
06:32What a good girl.
06:33You're just going to sleep there like that?
06:37Can I go near your nest?
06:38What do you think, sweetheart?
06:42What a good girl.
06:43Aren't you a good girl?
06:46Well, I won't stir her up on account of she'll just kill me.
06:49We're on a mission into North Queensland to capture and relocate a large rogue crocodile
06:55which is marauding a popular fishing and swimming spot.
06:58We're going to have to be careful because we're in their territory.
07:02This is the perfect scenario for North Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia.
07:08Go down to an isolated billabong like this.
07:11Think to yourself, gee, it's hot.
07:14I'd love to go for a swim.
07:16Or you're thirsty, might go down there, get a drink of water.
07:19Big problem.
07:21Big mistake.
07:22Very big mistake.
07:24This is crocodile territory and if a crocodile is hungry,
07:28he doesn't determine whether you're a human or a pig or a horse or a cow.
07:33If he's hungry, you're part of the food chain.
07:36And once again, the old crocodile classic,
07:39you go down to the water's edge and you think, oh yeah.
07:42You look into the water, nothing there to give away that there's a crocodile.
07:46And as soon as you get your hand, your face or your feet close enough to that water.
07:53Come on sport, what are you doing?
07:55These animals attack with lightning speed.
07:58And while we're in their territory, we have to keep in the back of our mind
08:02that even though we can't see them,
08:04they can certainly see us and feel our vibration as we approach the water.
08:09You make a mistake and you could die.
08:11As we're driving north, heading for the far reaches of North Queensland,
08:28we're hoping to help an animal that's protected by law but is often misunderstood.
08:33The crocodile is considered a rogue crocodile
08:36only because he's in areas where people are now inhabiting them.
08:40Fishermen, swimmers and tourists are now enjoying the spots
08:44that the crocodile has lived in for decades.
08:46Some of these areas are really difficult to get into,
08:49but unfortunately people are encroaching on the crocodile's traditional habitat.
08:53Crocodiles don't come into people's swimming pools,
08:56you have to go into theirs and they've been there for millions of years.
08:59As we continue north on our adventure, we discover many different types of wildlife,
09:04including many types of birds like these brolgas grazing in an open paddock.
09:09Our camp's set up right alongside this swamp.
09:12We're surrounded by wildlife and that's the reason why the crocodiles have still got a stronghold.
09:22This is the river system where our large rogue crocodile is trying to exist.
09:27It's a maze of waterways with little tributaries and creeks
09:32which go off into the cane and the cattle farms
09:35and unfortunately where you've got these farming areas,
09:38it makes it very difficult for people to co-exist with such a large predatory animal.
09:45This short stretch of river system could contain up to a dozen crocodiles
09:51being over lengths of ten feet.
09:56And so begins the dangerous and time-consuming challenge
09:59of finding exactly where this large male crocodile lives.
10:03We'll be searching the river systems up and down,
10:06carefully scrutinising the mud banks for any slides or any signs of this giant monster.
10:13We set up for our stay here at Camp Chilli.
10:16It's right beside a small tributary off the main river.
10:19Easy access for us, both up and downstream for our mission to locate the target crocodile.
10:25The wildlife in this unsettled area is prolific
10:28and in next to no time we had unusual, inquisitive visitors.
10:32Lizards, blue-winged kookaburras, brolgas and wallabies,
10:36some seem to treat our home as their own
10:38and others, they seem content to watch us like their own private zoo.
10:42They all appear incredibly tame,
10:44ignoring the fact that Steve and Suey the dog are making quite a racket.
10:48Why is it that Steve gets to play with the dog
10:51while I work flat out unloading the gear and setting up the kitchen?
10:55This little fellow made himself right at home in no time at all.
10:59When you stay here for any length,
11:01it's incredible how the animals and birds take you for granted
11:04and the wildlife visitors get wilder and wilder.
11:08As I find out later on.
11:16But in the meantime, I'm finding it fun watching this little guy.
11:20He's even going up the tree to check out our clothesline.
11:23Picking him up needed a little bit of courage though.
11:26Very beautiful. It's not biting you. Good boy.
11:30Isn't he beautiful? This is a lace monitor in the goanna family.
11:35He's just a little guy.
11:37These fellows can grow up to about two meters in length.
11:40He's come to visit the camp today, I think for a little bit to eat.
11:44Although he looks a little bit like a dragon, he's completely harmless.
11:48When he's full grown, he's going to eat things like rats and mice.
11:52And you're kind of looking at me funny, aren't you?
11:55Beautiful. You make me a little nervous.
11:57You have sharp teeth.
12:00So we're just going to move him out of the camp
12:02since we don't have enough food for everybody.
12:04Oh, you be good boy.
12:06Here we go.
12:09It's okay, honey.
12:10Once he latched onto my shoelace, he didn't want to let go.
12:14Even though we took him quite away from the camp,
12:17sure enough, the next day he was back.
12:19This time he didn't come looking for food.
12:21He seems to be addicted to terry sneakers.
12:24I can't understand why.
12:25I think it's the bad smell.
12:27Stephen!
12:29Over here! Right here!
12:31Careful, careful!
12:32Stay still. Stay very still.
12:34Get in the truck. Get in the truck.
12:37It's a black snake.
12:38Have a look at the size of it.
12:40Are you sure it's a black snake?
12:41Yeah. Oh, mate.
12:43Very sure. Red-bellied black.
12:45It's a big one.
12:49Oh, Stephen, it's coming over here.
12:51It's all right.
12:52Oh, it's very naughty.
12:54Come on.
12:59Whoa, Steve, be careful.
13:01Yeah.
13:03Take it easy, black snake.
13:05You've got to get out of my campsite.
13:06You can't bite my wife.
13:07Suey, get in the truck.
13:12Oh, man.
13:14Only go for a stick. It's just too aggressive.
13:17Get a stick. Get a stick.
13:19Get me a stick, Terry. This isn't good enough.
13:27A bushy one.
13:29A what one?
13:30A bushy stick. A nice, good, bushy stick.
13:32I don't know if this is bushy enough.
13:35Is it bushy enough?
13:36I can't see it, mate. I'm watching the snake.
13:38Here, left hand. Right hand.
13:40That's great.
13:41You want a bushier one?
13:43Yep, I'll get one.
13:44OK, I'll get the bushier one.
13:50Oh.
13:57Oh.
13:59Can't break that one off.
14:00Wow, aren't you a little beauty?
14:03Eh? A little ripper.
14:07See the way it's flattening its neck out?
14:09That's the aggressive mode.
14:11It's pretty similar to a cobra.
14:13He's really, really upset.
14:15And this is a huge red-bellied black snake.
14:19What is he, about number 10?
14:21Most venomous snakes in the world.
14:23Being so big, if you took a hit off one of these things,
14:27he's gonna put a lot of milligrams of venom into you.
14:31Huge venom glands, a lot of venom, and quite potent.
14:35Whatever you do, you see one of these in the bush,
14:38either stand still or walk in the opposite direction.
14:42Don't muck with them.
14:43Never do this.
14:44Never try and kill it.
14:46Stay out of its way.
14:48See, it's just poised to strike,
14:50and you can imagine if he hits,
14:51he's gonna pump as much venom in as he can.
14:55Very, very dangerous.
14:56What are you doing scaring my wife coming back from the toilet?
15:00I'm never going out again.
15:05He's beautiful, though, isn't he?
15:06Isn't he beautiful?
15:07Huge.
15:08Tell you what, he's really well-fit.
15:10If you watch it, he's coming back around.
15:13He's quietening down a bit now.
15:15He's starting to get there.
15:16Gee, isn't he in good condition?
15:18Really good.
15:20I've got a bushier stick.
15:21This is just fine, thanks.
15:23So how come you get a bushy limb?
15:24Is that so he can't bite you or so you can hurt him?
15:26Yeah, well, two things.
15:28If you get a bushy one, it tangles him up,
15:31and he feels a little bit secure,
15:33whereas if you pin him with a stick,
15:34what happens is it hurts him,
15:36he gets really, really cranky,
15:38and they've got the strength to be able to pull out from underneath him.
15:40See how he's really relaxed?
15:42He's more relaxed once he's in amongst all those sticks and leaves.
15:46If you use a single stick,
15:48you're going to end up breaking his backbone,
15:50or he's going to pull out from under it,
15:51because they're very, very strong animals.
15:53Really strong.
15:54See how he's backing up there?
15:55Yeah.
15:56And he's quite content.
15:57Even though I've got his tail, he's quite content.
16:01I'm much more content now that you have his tail, too.
16:03Take it easy.
16:04Watch it.
16:05He's right lined up on you, Steve.
16:06Yep.
16:11See his tongue coming out there?
16:12Yeah, yeah.
16:13He's trying to get a track on you.
16:14Oh, great.
16:15Yeah.
16:16He's really cranky.
16:17I'll take him over to that scrub over there and let him go over there.
16:19I don't really want him hanging around the camp.
16:20Okay.
16:21It's not a good idea to have him hanging around the camp, you know,
16:23with a venomous snake at this size.
16:25I would have said Taipan straight up.
16:27He's very shiny, too,
16:29which is very similar to your Taipan.
16:31Give me a direction as to how I'm going.
16:33You've got to go towards the sun, Mark.
16:35That's the unfortunate thing with the black snake is
16:37his venom isn't the most toxic in the world,
16:40and more often than not, if you get bitten, you'll live through it,
16:43but the unfortunate thing is the bite site
16:46and the limb that it bites goes necrotic
16:49and quite often has to be amputated.
16:51So even if you get a bite and you live,
16:53more often than not you're going to have an amputation.
17:10CROCODILE HABITAT
17:28This tidal river is perfect crocodile habitat.
17:31Its mangrove-lined mud banks are the ideal sanctuary
17:34for these saw-backed saurians,
17:36providing abundant food and hiding cover
17:39and giving the females protected nest sites.
17:44Terry and I decided to start our search
17:46for any evidence of crocodiles at the mouth
17:49and work our way upstream.
17:51Although it's unlikely we will encounter any animals
17:53along these sandbanks and tidal flats,
17:56crocodiles have been known to travel far out to sea.
17:59In fact, they've been sighted 200 kilometres from land.
18:04While we don't expect to come across
18:07any basking crocodiles here,
18:09we take the opportunity to enjoy
18:11the beauty of the lush tropical moor.
18:15It's always amazing what discoveries you can make
18:18just checking out the beaches and dunes.
18:21Our first encounter is not going to be
18:24anything like what we expected.
18:28Check out the size of this goanna.
18:30It's huge. I've never seen a goanna that big before.
18:33It's a sand goanna, and it's a beauty too.
18:36By gee, it's a ripper.
18:37I didn't even know they lived around here.
18:39Well, that's an interesting fact.
18:40I didn't know they lived here either.
18:42We'd better have a look,
18:43see if we can get him out of this hole,
18:44check him out.
18:45It's so difficult getting these things out of a hole.
18:47Their legs are like a big chunk of steel,
18:50very, very strong,
18:51and the biggest problem is if he turns around
18:53inside that hole and grabs hold of my fingers,
18:56he's going to strip the meat off down to the bone.
18:59I got hold of him.
19:00He's pretty well anchored,
19:01but as long as you get their back feet off,
19:03you should be able to prise them out, prise them out.
19:06Here we go.
19:07Got him.
19:09What a beauty.
19:10God, this is beautiful.
19:13What a little beauty.
19:15Look at him, and that's a sand goanna.
19:18Yeah, this is a sand goanna.
19:19He'd be two meters, six feet.
19:22You can see that forked tongue coming out.
19:24Didn't like the way I tasted it.
19:25No, she's too salty, isn't she?
19:27Isn't he just beautiful?
19:30So he's built for digging.
19:31Yeah, yeah, they're very good at excavating big holes.
19:34Have a look at the scar tissue.
19:36Now, he's seen some action.
19:38A few scars there on his legs.
19:43Big belly.
19:44Look at those claws, very muscular.
19:47They can run.
19:48Like for me, if I ran flat out,
19:50I could just keep up with them.
19:52A big one like this is a little bit slower,
19:55but isn't he muscly?
19:59Very, very muscular.
20:03Give you a little kiss?
20:04Oh, in the eye.
20:07It's such an ordeal for a sand goanna, isn't it?
20:10God, he's gorgeous.
20:11He's a beauty.
20:14He's a beauty.
20:17Really.
20:18Okay, we'll let this monster go back down into his hole.
20:20The thing that interests me is
20:22why they're here,
20:23and why was he scratching around at that old stump back there?
20:26You don't suppose he has a female around here or something?
20:29Well, for this big bloke to be here,
20:31I'd say it's quite possible that there is a female in the area.
20:34Let's go back to that stump and have a look.
20:36I want to know why he was buzzing around there.
20:39This is it.
20:40Terry, have a look at this.
20:43This is awesome.
20:45This is beautiful.
20:46This is why he was scratching around the stump.
20:50What I want you to do is, can you just keep your eye on my back?
20:52Because if Mum comes around, she's going to protect the nest.
20:55What we've got here, these are baby sand goannas.
20:59And Mum will actually defend the nest.
21:01If anything comes around her nest,
21:02she'll actually attack them with her throat puffed out
21:05and her mouth open and a show of teeth.
21:07Get away from my babies.
21:09Oh, but then I don't understand what the male was doing.
21:12Does he protect them too?
21:13Well, it's a very unfortunate set of circumstances there.
21:17And what it is, I'd say he would have eaten them.
21:20And that's one of the many interesting problems that you have in the scrub.
21:24When food is hard to get,
21:26they will resort to eating their own eggs and their own young.
21:30The female, she certainly wouldn't touch her eggs.
21:33But that large male, he looked pretty hungry
21:35and that's why he was scratching around this nest.
21:37He wasn't trying to save the eggs.
21:39He was going to eat them.
21:40How many eggs do you suppose are in there?
21:42Can you tell yet?
21:43Well, the average clutch size is about 15.
21:45I can see, ooh, what about 8 or 9 there.
21:48So there'd probably be over 10.
21:50Some are still buried in the sand.
21:52And they're the best-looking eggs I've ever seen.
21:54Boy, gee, they're good-looking eggs.
21:56See how round and firm they are.
21:58Yeah, but they're not hard like chicken's eggs.
22:00Why is that?
22:01Well, like all reptile eggs, except for crocodiles,
22:04they have a soft shell.
22:06It's a very soft, rubbery-type shell there.
22:08And that enables the baby, when he's all curled up in there,
22:12he uses up the egg yolk.
22:13And as he's using up the egg yolk,
22:15he'll develop and develop, and then he gets an egg tooth.
22:18Now, can you see this little bloke
22:20penetrating his nose through the egg shell there?
22:22I can't quite see where the egg tooth is.
22:24Very hard to see.
22:26It's a microscopic little tooth
22:27situated right on the end of his snout.
22:30And it's that small that, without a microscope,
22:32you'd be very hard-pressed to find it.
22:35And as that baby's developed,
22:37like they're ready to hatch right now,
22:39he's ready to go, ready to go,
22:41and he'll just slide his egg tooth across the egg shell,
22:45pierce it, and then stick his nose out.
22:48If they've used up all the egg yolk while they were developing,
22:50what's that shiny, like, fluid stuff I see coming out?
22:53That's called umbio.
22:54And that's the fluid that's contained
22:56all the way around the baby.
22:58So while they're in there,
22:59they don't breathe air that we know it.
23:01And this little baby here,
23:03he hasn't had his first breath of air, so to speak.
23:06He's relying on what air is taken inside the egg.
23:10So immediately when they come out,
23:12the first thing they do is check the air with their tongue,
23:15so they're actually, like, smelling where they are.
23:18Are they looking for predators,
23:19or do they have that instinct yet?
23:21Well, what he's doing is that forked tongue's coming out,
23:24same as a snake.
23:25That's his first sensory organ
23:27that comes out of the egg to locate, yes,
23:29if there's any danger,
23:31if there's any predators in the area,
23:33if mum's there,
23:34what the air temperature's like,
23:36any foreign smells.
23:37That's his first instinctive thing to do
23:39when he gets out of that egg,
23:40is to sniff the air
23:42and find out if there is any danger
23:44and what's going on.
23:45That's amazing.
23:46And then right after they do that,
23:47they take their first breath.
23:49Yeah, it should be coming up pretty soon.
23:50See how he's still got his eyes shut?
23:52There they go.
23:53They just opened up.
23:54That's breathing.
23:55Did you see him breathe?
23:56I saw it.
23:57That was the breathing.
23:58He just took his first breath.
23:59That's incredible.
24:00Oh, it's so special.
24:01This being born,
24:03this birth thing for reptiles is fascinating.
24:05So they go from being that small
24:07to how large again?
24:08Oh, they'll grow over six feet.
24:10That's unreal,
24:11that they go from being so small
24:12to such a large animal.
24:13Now, what is something that little
24:15going to eat right off?
24:16Well, the first couple of months,
24:18they rely on the egg yolk
24:19that's still inside their belly.
24:21Once they've used that up,
24:22they constantly search with their forked tongue
24:25and they eat just about anything.
24:26Frogs, insects, rats, mice, baby snakes,
24:30they'll eat anything.
24:31I'm so glad we showed up just in time
24:33so they didn't become a meal
24:35for that great big goanna.
24:48So here we go again.
24:50Catching crocodiles isn't an easy task
24:52and it takes a long, long time.
24:54We've been on the river system for ages now
24:56and we have to continually go up and down
24:58looking for those signs.
25:00And unfortunately, it's not every day
25:03that you see positive crocodile signs.
25:05So we put a lot of miles and a lot of time into it.
25:08Meanwhile, I'm feeling a little bit scared
25:10as Steve's warned me over and over again
25:12that now we're in the crocodile's territory.
25:14We're near the water
25:16and we're not on land anymore.
25:18So we're in his swimming pool.
25:20We've got to be very careful,
25:22even though it's daytime,
25:23crocodiles are still quite active.
25:26The most danger I'm having right now
25:28is with these mangroves.
25:30Zipping in and out in these maze of mangroves
25:33is quite an art.
25:35And Terri's a pretty good navigator.
25:37She keeps us going.
25:38Here we are checking for any slides
25:40or signs of crocodiles.
25:42The mud bank will be changed
25:44where the crocodiles come in and out of the water
25:46and you'll actually be able to see
25:48an imprint of their body
25:50where they've used an area quite frequently.
25:52And they're called slides.
25:54So now we've got the careful task ahead
25:57of spotting them, hopefully,
25:59before they spot us.
26:01We're right in the middle of the area
26:03where this big fella that we've been chasing
26:05is hanging around.
26:06This is the centre of his territory.
26:09Steve, look.
26:10Look right there.
26:14What's it doing?
26:15Why is it...
26:16Don't get too close.
26:17Why isn't it going into the water?
26:19It's dead.
26:20It's dead, Terri.
26:21It's dead.
26:22It's dead.
26:23God, it's dead.
26:24Oh, my God.
26:27It's dead.
26:35Oh, my God.
26:38Oh, my word.
26:43Let's see if we can get him up a bit.
26:45Look at the size of him.
26:47Look at the size of him.
26:53Come on, old timer.
26:56Come on, old timer.
27:00Let's see if we can get him up a little bit.
27:03Goodness.
27:08My God, it's just such a waste.
27:11This is such a waste.
27:13Bullet holes straight to the brain.
27:16He was shot dead.
27:19He's so beautiful.
27:20Look at the size on him.
27:22So beautiful.
27:24Well, that's it for you, old timer.
27:26What a pity.
27:31Well, this is a real shame.
27:33We've been on this river system for three months trying to catch this bloke.
27:38The last few days, he's been hitting our leading baits.
27:40We probably would have caught him in the next couple of days.
27:43He's probably the best part of 70 to 100 years old.
27:47This is his stretch of the river system.
27:50Wasn't going to hurt anybody.
27:51Probably got a couple of females.
27:54Very territorial.
27:56And then a cowboy comes along and shoots him.
28:00Now he's lost.
28:02Gone forever.
28:03A real shame.
28:09What a waste.
28:10It's a criminal act to shoot such an incredible creature.
28:14He's over 15 feet long and weighs over a ton.
28:19These animals have been in our ecosystem for millions of years.
28:23Without these creatures, we're all going to lose.
28:26There'll be no mud crabs and no fish left.
28:29We must protect them.
28:31And if given another couple of days, we would have caught this animal alive
28:35and been able to relocate him.
28:37A far better opportunity than shooting him.
28:42We are now very concerned for other crocodiles on the river.
28:45Now that we have a known shooter in the area,
28:47it is imperative that we search and locate more slides and evidence of large crocodiles.
28:53Stephen, slide!
28:54Slide! Right there, right there, right there!
28:57Oh, yes!
29:00What a classic little slide.
29:02You can see this croc.
29:03He's been sitting up here.
29:05Came up on the high tide.
29:07He was sitting up here on the high tide.
29:09As the water's gone out, it's exposed his slide.
29:12You can see the tip of his tail here.
29:14Curls all the way around.
29:16Tail comes up.
29:17Gets a little bit fatter at the base of the tail.
29:19And as we come around, you can see the scales of his belly.
29:23That texture there, they're his belly scales.
29:26And if you look along here, you can see the indentation
29:29where his head's been sitting, watching the water.
29:32If you have a look back here, you can see where his feet are dug into the mud, poised.
29:36As he heard us coming around the corner, he thought,
29:39yep, yep, I can hear a boat coming.
29:41As soon as he saw us come around, he's just gone zoom!
29:45Straight down into the water.
29:47We've located the nest site of a large female.
29:50It'll be the female of that croc that got shot.
29:53And being a mummy with some eggs in a nest up here, she's going to be hanging around.
29:57It's a real fright because she'll actually give her life to defend this nest.
30:02Oh, Steve, can you see?
30:05Can you see? Oh, my God.
30:08Oh, my God, what happened?
30:11Pigs. Look at the size of the tracks.
30:15The slide hasn't been used for days.
30:17Pigs did this?
30:19I have a look at the size of the footprints.
30:21Only one pig, I'd say a big one.
30:23So, Steve, you don't think anything happened to the mother?
30:26You think she's just left the nest?
30:28Well, obviously something's happened to mum.
30:31You know, that long weekend that's just gone by, there's a lot of traffic on the river.
30:35There's no way she's going to come up and defend her nest while people are cruising around in boats.
30:39I get it. A pig did this for sure.
30:41Oh, yeah, you can see the size of the prints. Huge pig.
30:44I can see where it came in on the side and was rooting its way through.
30:48We must have interrupted it.
30:50That's the big problem with pigs.
30:52They'll come through and destroy entire nest sites.
30:55We've got a chance of about one in every 200 babies surviving to release, to live to maturity in the wild.
31:03When the pigs come along and destroy the nest like this, it's devastating.
31:07It's devastating to the crocodile.
31:09The pigs are not indigenous here.
31:11They've been introduced, and they've completely upset the balance.
31:15Oh, my word, they were just about ready to hatch.
31:18Just about ready.
31:20Oh, dear.
31:23I've got three dead ones so far.
31:25All of the eggs look like they've been destroyed.
31:27I don't think there's any left.
31:29They just look like they've been ruined.
31:32Oh, God. Here's another little dead one down in here.
31:37Wait a minute.
31:38Steve, look. Look.
31:40This one's alive.
31:42I wonder if there's any others alive.
31:44Hold this one. Hold this one.
31:46Look, here's another one.
31:48Here's another one.
31:50You better be really thorough with that nest.
31:52I am. I am.
31:53Oh, be careful with them now.
31:55Oh, they're beautiful.
31:59I can see the bottom where she's been laid.
32:01She's pulled up all the eggs.
32:03I can't find any more.
32:04This is the bottom.
32:06I'm being thorough.
32:09This one's dead, too.
32:10Oh, no.
32:11This one's dead, too.
32:15That's all. That's all, Stephen.
32:17That's it. I've reached the bottom of the cavity.
32:20That's it. Four out of what?
32:21What do you think?
32:22Forty eggs? Fifty?
32:24Oh, no. It'd be closer to 65, 70 eggs there.
32:27There's a lot there.
32:28Have a look at the dead ones out over on the ground.
32:30Oh, I know.
32:31Sweetheart, can you grab hold of these?
32:32I just don't feel safe with them in my hands.
32:34So do we take them right down to the water?
32:36Yeah. We'll just let them go right here.
32:39Oh, they're beautiful.
32:40We're going to have to be really careful because if Mommy's there, she's going to take a massive bite.
32:43She's going to eat us. She'll think we're bothering you.
32:45Are you sure about nothing else in here?
32:46I'm sure.
32:47You know I don't like this idea of releasing them here.
32:50Yeah.
32:51That's what I think.
32:53Oh, man, Steve.
32:57I don't know if I'm brave enough to come all the way down there.
33:00No, we'll stay up with you.
33:01I'm not too sure about this myself.
33:03Okay. There's all four of them.
33:04Okay.
33:05Do it quick.
33:07Come on.
33:13Oh, they're beautiful.
33:16Thank God we've got a few that are going to survive.
33:19Look at those.
33:29Since coming to live in Australia, this is my favorite time.
33:33Sunset in the Australian bush.
33:35And even laboring over Steve's version of towering inferno,
33:38and lacking more than a few home comforts,
33:40this tropical twilight time is just magic.
33:43Tucker time.
33:45Not only for us, but also for the nocturnal creatures.
33:48The ring-tailed possum and its youngster are out prowling for a meal.
33:52Even Dad's along.
33:53But the only way we can film them is for Steve to actually climb the tree,
33:57utilizing our mini camera.
33:59I've dubbed it Possum Cam.
34:01You won't have these in your roof.
34:03Ring-tailed possums with a glorious orange color phase.
34:07Up here feeding on eucalypt flowers, one of their favorites.
34:10And they're quite common in northeastern Australia.
34:13Trying to film these little devils in these spindly trees is very difficult.
34:17And here's Mum with a baby attached to her back.
34:20Oh, they're fabulous.
34:21Well, we better turn the lights off and leave them alone.
34:25Look how beautiful he is.
34:26Oh, aren't you gorgeous?
34:28Have a look at you.
34:30Isn't he darling?
34:31Isn't he beautiful?
34:32He's not venomous, right?
34:33No, he's a python.
34:36All right.
34:37So he hugs his food to death.
34:39Yeah, he constricts his prey.
34:42Right.
34:44What a way to go.
34:45Yeah.
34:46So like all pythons, they're completely harmless.
34:49They haven't got any venom at all.
34:51Oh, he's beautiful.
34:52Let me see him.
34:53Thanks.
34:54This is a treat.
34:55Come here, sweetheart.
34:57Come here.
34:58Oh, see how he's constricted my fingers?
34:59Yeah.
35:00That's what they do to rats and mice.
35:01They curl themselves around them and squeeze and squeeze until they squeeze all the air out.
35:07Gee, what a way to go.
35:09Yeah.
35:10You're beautiful.
35:11So what kind of python is he?
35:12Oh, he's a water python.
35:14And he's living in a tree?
35:16Yeah, water python is just a name.
35:18They normally live around water systems.
35:20They like a bit of fresh water, but they climb trees, get into logs, live anywhere.
35:25And the reason he's hanging around the camp is because there's a lot of rats and mice
35:29around the place because we've moved in and they're eating our bread, as you know.
35:32I think he's checking my hair for rats and mice right now.
35:35No, I don't think you'll find any in there.
35:37So do we get to let him live here?
35:39Yeah, I think we'll just put him back in the same tree, let him do his own thing.
35:42They are completely harmless.
35:44So, yeah.
35:46And they're nocturnal, too.
35:47So we haven't got any problem with him.
35:49It's really unfortunate people kill them thinking they're taipans or black snakes.
35:53It's very easy to tell a python from a venomous snake.
35:56You can see he's got a very thick body for his length.
35:59And his head's very distinct.
36:03You got a good grip?
36:04Well, I'm glad he's a water python and not something venomous for the campsite anyway.
36:09There you go. There's your tree.
36:11There he goes. Gosh, the wildlife here is just wonderful.
36:14It's prolific, isn't it?
36:15Every time we turn around.
36:16Sure beats watching the telly.
36:18Wait a minute. I'd feel a lot happier if we were at home watching TV.
36:23Right now, I'd rather be doing that than what we're about to do.
36:29Dealing with crocodiles at night is a far different proposition than during the day.
36:33This is their time.
36:35Fishermen have reported sighting what they believe is a 10-foot croc in this section of the creek.
36:40It's been cruising around a frequently used boat ramp and scavenging fish frames carelessly left behind by fishermen.
36:47In the dark, the crocodile feels secure.
36:49Certain in the knowledge they cannot easily be detected in the mangroves.
36:53This self-confidence makes them a target for a spotlight.
36:56Their eyes glow red in the reflected brightness and seems to dazzle them,
37:00giving us the opportunity to drive the boat close enough for me to jump on top of them and wrestle them into the boat.
37:06That one.
37:07Yep.
37:08Get to that.
37:10The fork's stiff. I want to grab it.
37:14There he is. He's moving out to us.
37:16Downstream. Downstream.
37:19There he is.
37:44I feel better when Steve is out of the water and back in the boat.
37:50This is very dangerous.
37:53If Steve misjudges the size of the animal, it could turn out to be bigger than he can handle.
37:58Not to mention larger crocodiles that may be lurking in the water nearby.
38:09Okay, it's over there. It's over there. It's beautiful. It's beautiful.
38:11Get the spotlight. Get the spotlight.
38:12I got it. I got it.
38:14I got him.
38:23There he is.
38:25Come on. You've got to get back now.
38:33Get me to the back. Get me to the back.
38:37Get me to the back.
38:39Get me to the back.
38:40I'm trying. There's no footing.
38:44I'm swimming, man. I'm swimming.
38:50Get up there, babe. Get up there.
38:51I'm getting him. I'm getting him. I'm swimming.
39:07Are you okay?
39:09Let's go.
39:10I'm going.
39:13Get him down here.
39:23You got a rope?
39:24Yeah.
39:25Get a rope.
39:26Yeah.
39:28My left arm's starting to cramp up, so be quick.
39:31I've got a rope. What do you want it?
39:33I'll take the crocodile.
39:35Can you put her back legs?
39:37Uh-huh.
39:39Too big. Too big.
39:41Too big. Too big.
39:43You got that one?
39:44Yeah.
39:49Too big.
39:56You got her eyes covered?
39:57Yeah.
39:58Cover her eyes.
40:07Shit.
40:09Okay, now hang on to her. I've got to loop it again.
40:17Oh, that's great. That's really good.
40:23I thought I was going to drown.
40:25I thought you were going to drown, too.
40:26Get my shirt off. We're going to have to blindfold her.
40:29Okay.
40:30Just rip the buttons. Just rip it off.
40:39That's great.
40:41Great.
40:44I'm sorry.
40:45Oh, yes. Yes.
40:49You're all right, girl.
40:52Ready her up.
40:54Wait on.
40:58Be steady. Very steady.
41:00Okay.
41:03Okay.
41:04All right?
41:05Hang on.
41:09Shit.
41:12Get up. It's not on the edge of anything.
41:14Okay.
41:19Another couple of days.
41:20If he had hung around this boat, he'd have got shot for sure.
41:22I know.
41:23Remember those fishermen saying yesterday,
41:24Oh, bloody crocodile.
41:25Ten foot.
41:26He doesn't look ten foot to me.
41:28Nowhere near.
41:29You got her okay?
41:30Yep. I got her fine.
41:34Woo!
41:36Yes!
41:39Yes!
41:40Yes!
41:42Yes!
41:43Yes!
41:51Keep it here on Animal Planet,
41:54Because from aardvarks to zebras,
41:56Those emergency vets will do their best to make them all better.
41:59Up next, only here on Animal Planet.
42:08.