CHARLIE PARKER: When I interact with big animals, it makes me feel excited because they are
really big and exciting to play with.
CHARLIE PARKER: I like alligators because they launch out of the water and you know
when they are launching out of the water - in clear water, but sometimes when they are not
in clear water they wiggle their tail and you can’t see them and so sometimes they launch and eat you.
CHARLIE PARKER: I am Charlie Parker, I am eight years old and I like to play with alligators,
snakes and lizards and frogs. My passion with animals first started when I holded my first
snake when I was one; when I was a baby. My favourite snake is the reticulated python
because they squeeze their prey.
INTERVIEWER: What does it feel like?
CHARLIE PARKER: It feels smooth.
CHARLIE PARKER: I am not afraid of handling snakes or alligators because I have worked
with them my whole life and I’ve built it up a trust to them.
JULIA LEONARD: He is very natural around animals and also with reptiles.
JULIA LEONARD: He is like a little David Attenborough, really.
JULIA LEONARD: There is about 50 species of reptile and then we have got about 20 species of mammal.
GREG PARKER: We believe passionately in conservation and we believe that you cannot promote conservation
without people meeting the animals up close.
CHARLIE PARKER: I was three when I interacted with my first alligator. It launched at me
and launched at me again and then it did a big jump and I fed it. It’s pretty cool.
My favourite animal is Crunch the crocodile.
CHARLIE PARKER: He used to be naive and too dainty because he used to get out of all the traps.
GREG PARKER: Crunch is a five meter saltwater crocodile.
GREG PARKER: It probably weighs around about 700 kilos.
GREG PARKER: And he respects Crunch, you know he is a big wild crocodile and quite dangerous
so, but yeah, Charlie is fairly comfortable with him and he goes in there all the time.
JULIA LEONARD: I certainly wouldn’t put him at risk if I thought he was going to get eaten.
GREG PARKER: We have all got you know, bitten fingers and few scars over the years and Charlie
is accruing a few himself.
CHARLIE PARKER: I have been bitten by a Blue Tongue snake, crocodile, alligator, venomous
snake that’s called a Copperhead. Black-Headed Python, Olive Python and Pygmy Python.
JULIA LEONARD: Charlie can interact with most of the animals here at the park yeah, he enjoys
working with the Penguins, he enjoys working with mammals.
JULIA LEONARD: And you know, mainly the reptiles.
JULIA LEONARD: He really helps out and I think everybody really appreciates how good
he is with the animals.
CHARLIE PARKER: My friends think I am cool because I work with animals all the time and
they want to be like me one day.
GREG PARKER: Charlie has his own following at the park.
CHARLIE PARKER: Yeah, when people see me, they are amazed because I am so young.
CHARLIE PARKER: When I grow up, I want to be a professional zoo keeper.
CHARLIE PARKER: Like Steve Irwin.