Now, today, we're going to be
looking at probably the most legendary crocodile
at Australia Zoo. The oldest, the biggest,
and still the most powerful.
That is, of course, Acco.
He's over 16, pushing 17 feet long by now.
Now, he was originally known as the Gatekeeper of Cattle Creek.
Now, this beautiful river system in northern Australia,
this is where he lived.
He was the king of that river system.
But unfortunately he was a little bit cheeky.
He started getting a little bit too close to people
and people started to get a little bit of animosity towards this croc.
So there was talk about killing him.
Dad got wind of that and he couldn't have it.
So he went out there.
He spent two years straight trying to catch this croc to rescue him.
And finally he got him and brought him back to Australia Zoo.
Now, this was a sad decision for Dad because you never, ever
want to remove a big croc like this from the river system, but there was no choice.
He was going to get shot. People hated him.
So he got a great life here at the zoo.
And now this is his territory.
I absolutely love watching that old footage dad feeding Acco.
He even though he's so big and bulky, he's always had that speed behind him.
And when he decides to put on a burst of speed, he's capable.
Dad really like to get close to him, to push the limits
and to show the world just how quick a giant croc can be.
People think once they're big
ahh they're not too dangerous, you can get a little bit closer.
Not the case. And Acco just proves that.
And it is an absolute privilege to get to go in with this beautiful
ancient animal and just be with him one on one.
So today we're going to be getting in,
getting a nice big piece of food for him and giving him some lunch.
Should be fun. Check out Acco. Let's go
So this is Acco
this is as big as a crocodile will ever get.
Crocs used to get over 20 foot.
They were unfortunately hunted almost to extinction.
And these days, it's about as big as they get.
16 foot.
Hey big boy.
Here he comes.
Here big boy.
Good boy Acco.
Isn't he amazing.
I just can't believe the size of his head.
His head weighs probably about as much as I do.
It's like an absolute piece of steel.
He is a living dinosaur.
Give him another nice piece of tukka
Now, it's not scientifically proven, but it's kind of a hunch
that we've got that crocodiles when you see them with
these really dark coloration, we reckon that means they're old.
Oftentimes, those younger crocs, a kind of lighter in colouration.
But once they get really big, an ancient croc
like Acco, very dark.
So what we're trying to do here is really trying
to replicate natural behaviour with with Acco.
So we're going to give him this piece of food no matter what.
But if I can, it's always good to get him out of the water, get him moving.
Here you go big boy. Come on Acco.
And really get some exercise in for him.
He's a big croc though.
That's a lot of weight to pull around.
Here you go Acco.
How's that pop?
You can hear how he grabbed that food.
Kind of missed it,
so he went to get a better grip on it.
And you hear that, that pop, that's just immense jaw pressure.
Absolutely. Incredible.
The amount of respect that we have here for our crocs is huge.
And to be able to do this with a big ol croc like Acco,
to get him out of the water get him really striking as he would in the wild.
It's vitally important for him.
So, of course, for the guests at Australia Zoo, it's great to get to teach
everyone about these animals, but also to maintain their health.
So what it's all about, we want to make sure they live a happy,
healthy and enjoyable life.
And Acco, we love him so much.
We absolutely love this croc.
I have such a huge amount of respect for him.
Oldest and biggest croc at Australia Zoo.
Isn't he awesome?
I reckon they live a great life
and uh there's only one thing to end on...
crocs rule!