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SUNDAY MAIL (Brisbane, Australia) 26 February 06 Croc man farewells old saltie (Damien Stannard)
An enduring but mismatched love affair will end when Mick Tabone walks away from his famous Johnstone River Crocodile Farm.
After 20 years in the business, Mick and his wife Margaret have put the Innisfail farm and its 4500 wildlife inhabitants on the market.
That leaves Mick's relationship with his 5.5m, 1200kg playmate Gregory on the rocks.
For the best part of those 20 years, Gregory – a 60-year-old rogue saltwater croc evicted from the nearby Eubangee Swamp for killing cattle – and Mick have been best mates.
So strong is their bond, the giant saltie will let Mick scratch him under the chin with a rake and climb aboard for picture opportunities.
"I'll miss him," Mick said. "Maybe whoever buys the place might keep me on for a while as a consultant. I love wildlife."
At 64, and with a dodgy right knee following a string of operations, Mick says now is the right time to retire.
Once his knee has healed, he and Margaret plan on taking an overseas trip to drop in on some of the tourists who have visited the farm since it opened in 1986.
"I enjoy working with wildlife and meeting tourists but I'm not getting any younger," he said.
"The knee got infected after the reconstruction and I can't even drive a manual car. We're hoping the right sort of people will take the place over."
As well as the fond memories there have been tragedies.
In 1994, a 4m saltie mauled an attendant to death, while another keeper lost an arm to a 5m beast in 1993.
Mick boasts a few scars but reckons he has never been seriously challenged by one of his beloved crocs.
"I've had some exciting times, I wouldn't say hairy," he said.
"You have to treat them with respect."
Croc man farewells old saltie
