A large saltwater crocodile that featured in Steve and Terri Irwin’s filming projects in the ’90s has been safely relocated from a Cairns facility to Australia Zoo.
Affectionately named ‘Old Faithful’ by Steve in his heyday, the croc was removed from Lakefield National Park in September for public safety.
Rehoming options were considered, and it was determined that Australia Zoo was the best-suited facility to accept and care for a crocodile of this size and significance.
Australia Zoo safely transported the crocodile from Cairns to the Sunshine Coast last weekend.
It was removed from the wild after the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) received reports of its repeated and concerning behaviour that was escalating, as a direct result of it being fed by people.
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This was confirmed by Australia Zoo on its Instagram account this week.
“After decades ruling his waterhole, in Far North Queensland, people not being croc wise sadly meant he was deemed a “problem crocodile” by the government and he was removed,” the post read.
“It’s time we respect crocs’ homes and let them thrive undisturbed in their natural habitats. Avoiding them is simple, stay out of the water and away from the water’s edge, don’t leave food lying around the banks and you’ll never have a problem with a crocodile.
“We couldn’t stand by and let him be sent to a crocodile farm…so we brought him to Australia Zoo to give the big guy a forever home. We know Steve would be over the moon that we could have him here, in the sanctuary that he built, safe and sound to live out the rest of his days!”
On the same post, Terri added her mixed feelings on welcoming Old Faithful onto her Sunshine Coast property.
“While I wish he could have stayed in his home in North Queensland, I am thankful that we were given the opportunity to give him a new habitat where he will be safe from human interference,” she commented.
The smooth transition for the crocodile was made possible by the collaborative efforts of Australia Zoo and DETSI, highlighting the shared goal of wildlife conservation and education.
DETSI has advised the animal is considered an icon crocodile under the Nature Conservation (Estuarine Crocodile) Conservation Plan 2018, meaning it must be rehomed to a licenced crocodile facility to promote education on crocodile ecology and conservation.
