NORTHERN TERRITORY NEWS (Darwin, Australia) 18 December 07 Bully crocs rule farms
Crocodile farms are breeding bullies by the hatchery-load.
Crocodile bullies pick on "runts" at farms to such an extent that half the deaths in commercial operations can be linked to the stress they cause, leading croc researcher Dr Sally Isberg has found.
Dr Isberg, the chief scientist at Darwin Crocodile Farm - Australia`s biggest crocodile farm, with about 36,000 animals - has won a $10,000 science and innovation award from the Bureau of Rural Sciences for research into the social interactions of farm-raised crocodiles.
But such bullying was not evident in a big way at Cairns crocodile farm Hartley's Crocodile Adventures, its wildlife manager Dave Leyden said yesterday.
"If you see a crocodile not doing that well, you separate them off or feed them up," Mr Leyden said.
"You don`t allow them to get to the extent where it becomes a runt ... it doesn`t have to go and play with the big boys."
Staff at the farm, which has about 2500 crocodiles, checked on the progress of each animal daily to avoid animals being dominated to such a negative extent, he said.
"If you allowed big and small animals in together you would probably have more bullying," Mr Leyden said.
But Dr Isberg said some farmed crocodiles never thrived, they appeared never to adjust and became anorexic, which could lead to death.
While she said it was not clear why runtism occurred, stress brought on by crocodile bullies could be a cause.
With skins valued at about $500 each, runt mortalities represented a substantial financial loss for crocodile farmers, she said.
Bully crocs rule farms