G'Day
Welcome to another crocodile profile.
Today we're going to be talking about
probably the most unpredictable croc at Australia Zoo, Scrappa.
He's sitting right there,
he's probably got his head up ready to strike.
I can't go too close to that gate because he'll actually attack the gate.
That's how crazy he is.
He's Agro's son. Agro, the absolute legend himself.
So he's got all of that aggression behind him, all of that excitement.
He is an absolute goer.
So we've got food in here.
Got all the cameras, get a mic on so we know what we're saying.
And then behind you, have a look at Nick.
He's got a great set up on his head.
Wow. Looking good, mate.
All right. Let's go for it.
Now, we got food in here ready to go.
The canal opens up here. They're about to lift that gate up,
and Scrappa is gonna make his way out.
The crowds ready,
I'm ready.
Should be a bit of fun. Let's see how we go.
[Jeremy] ...for Claire, for Tallow and of course Australia Zoo's free flight birds.
[Jeremy] Well done! This leaves us one thing left to do. [Faye] Let's do it!
Who want's to see the crocs?
[Crowd Cheering]
[Jeremy] And feeding Scrappa is Robert Irwin!
G'day, G'day
Thanks very much.
Well, today we have got Scrappa coming out.
I'm all camera'd up.
But today, it's all about crocodile safety and crocodile conservation.
They really do go hand in hand.
If we can be safe in croc territory, we'll be helping ourselves and helping crocs.
The number one rule is this,
Don't go in the water with a croc.
It's pretty common sense.
This is where crocodiles hunt, in the water and at the water's edge.
And Scrappa's gonna pop up.
Have a little look, and he doesn't reveal very much of himself,
just his eyes, nose and ears.
And then he's back into that camouflage mode.
Now me stamping my feet around in his pond, he doesn't like it,
gets him really grumpy and he's going to get ready to put on a strike.
C'mon Scrap, hey big boy.
Good strike Scrappa.
Up here mate, oooh. Up here big boy
Good hit Scrappa.
Give it up for him eh?
What do you reckon? Mate.
[Nick] How about you jump back in the water?
[Nick] Who wants to see, Robert, go back in the water?
What could go wrong?
All right, Scrappa, what are you doing?
What are you doing Scrappa, get back in the water.
You're supposed to be aquatic.
Scrappa, what are you doing ya loon?
Here we go. Now scrappa, kind of a...
He's a bit of a different crocodile.
He sort of defies that rule that crocs
are only quick in the water, and they're not quick on land.
It's all about camouflage.
Waiting and watching for the perfect moment.
Hey big boy. C'mon Scrappa. Up here mate.
Hey Scrap, c'mon mate.
Good boy.
Up here big boy.
Good hit Scrappa, there ya go.
Isn't he a legend? Alright now,
you've seen a couple of good strikes with Scrappa coming out of the water.
but Scrappa it does have another pretty fascinating way of catching his prey.
That's called the tailwalk.
So he's using his tail to get all the power
to actually vault himself upright out of the water.
And this is a technique the crocodiles will use
from the time that they first hatch when they're absolutely tiny.
Oh, good hit Scrappa.
Here you go big boy.
Oop, he missed that.
Can you grab that for me, mate?
Crocodiles hunt, again, in the water and at the water's edge.
They utilize that powerful tail, their little legs.
They'll plant their feet and come out like an absolute torpedo.
But once they're out on land, you're actually not in too much danger.
And we'll show you that here with Scrappa.
So you'll line up for a strike.
He'll get ready.
C'mon mate, C'mon Scrappa. It's that really quick strike,
and once he's out on land, you can see he loses that speed very quickly.
Up here big boy, what do ya reckon?
Now you're looking at my legs, Scrappa.
And I don't trust you.
Now, once I am out on land,
I can easily sit down right in front of Scrappa, and I know,
I can get up and get out of his way much quicker than he can come forward.
That's just not how he's built.
Even though he is the fastest croc here, I'm not in too much danger.
I'm not going to stay here very long.
But he really doesn't care. If I get further away from him though,
but closer to his water.
Look at the difference. What do ya reckon Scrappa?
You can see the second I start to approach his water,
he comes in and he wants to defend his territory.
That's because this is where he hunts.
This is where he knows he's got the upper hand.
They are the most simple predator on the planet to live alongside.
And it is very important that we work together to try and change
this perception that crocodiles are out to get us. Every time an attack occurs,
people think,
you know, crocs are these bloodthirsty animals running around trying to eat ya.
It's not the case.
They're doing what they've been doing for 200 million years.
We can't come along and expect
to own the northern waterways and do whatever we want.
This is their territory. We need to respect that.
And they play a very important role.
Crocodiles, they're an apex predator.
They are right at the top of the food chain.
So if we lose crocs, if we lose this apex predator, everything else underneath them
is gonna start to degrade. And you know,
Dad dedicated his entire life to crocs.
He absolutely loved these guys, and he wanted to teach everyone
to have a little bit more love and respect for them.
So thanks very much for coming out today,
supporting our conservation work, keeping the whole thing going.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Drive safe, and remember. Crocs Rule!
Have a good one, see ya.
Well, there you have it, Scrappa.
The absolute lunatic himself.
I love him so much.
You can see he is all about the chase.
He gets out here and it's just nonstop.
Go, go, go, go, go.
You never really know what's going to happen.
Sometimes you barely even get food in his head.
He just loves it.
He doesn't come out here for food.
He comes out for the pure enjoyment.
And that's why we do what we do. To teach people about crocs, but mostly
to make sure that our crocs get to use all those natural instincts
and have a bit of fun.
Scrappa definitely does just that.
So stay tuned for more crocodile profiles.