Melbourne's Crocodile Man Crocodiles are creatures of the tropics. Melbourne is far too cold for them, so the zoo must keep them in small, hot, indoor enclosures. How does someone who is passionate about crocodiles reconcile their role as a zookeeper, restricting large creatures to small enclosures so far from their natural habitat? With this question in mind, I spent time with Jon Birkett, Keeper in Charge of Herpetofauna at the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens. With thirty years as a zookeeper of reptiles and amphibians, and an unbridled passion for their conservation, he admitted he struggles with that very question every day of his working life. ‘We intelligent humans can justify anything,' he said with a wistful, self-doubting tone. He then went on to justify it: "Preserving close encounters where people can see, hear, smell and sometimes touch wild creatures is the first step to getting people to really appreciate the value of wild creatures in wild places. I guess if we're doing positive things for these animals, then the animals we look after and care for in zoos are great ambassadors for those in wild places and our job is to give them the best possible life that we can.    I never feel that we are being cruel, but I always feel that we can do better with more resources. In the thirty years I've been doing this as a zoo-keeper we get better and better, but in my view it's never fast enough."

The Melbourne Zoo has a breeding group of Australian freshwater crocodiles, plus one male and one female Philippine crocodiles. While the freshwater crocodiles are housed together in a single enclosure, the two Philippine crocodiles were granted a display each. The freshwaters were constantly up near the glass watching the ever fascinated stream of people who were watching them. The Philippine crocodiles were mostly under rock ledges.

Superficially alike, these crocodiles are different species with distinctly different behaviours and hence need to be treated differently. In order to keep the various species of crocodile properly in captivity, Birkett explained, it is essential to be aware of their biology in the wild. The Australian freshwater crocodiles are a social species. The Philippine crocs are not. They are a solitary and secretive species and so need to be kept separate in captivity.

Birkett regrets the mistake made with them initially, which he regretfully attributes to a lack of deep understanding of their nature. The female and male were put together and a battle ensued. The female ‘beat up' the male. ‘Our understanding,' he said, ‘was as shallow as a puddle in the dry season.'

The Philippine crocodile needs protection more than any other in the crocodilian world. They are so close to extinction in the wild, they may be beyond saving. Once found all over the Philippines, by 1995 there were only a hundred or so individuals in a single limited population. It is through the long term captive breeding programs, such as that between Silliman University and Melbourne zoo, which give the species the best chance of survival.

So the Philippine crocodiles have an enclosure each and the Australian freshwater crocodiles share---as each species prefers. Across the corridor of the Reptile House oohs and ahs emerge from the crowds around the large tank. There are the hatchling freshwater crocodiles. The breeding program is crucial to the zoo's activities. But it isn't always plain sailing, as Birkett explained:

"The Johnston River crocs we've bred many times over the years. But there was a period of about six years when they didn't breed. It was very puzzling. Both females had been laying fertile eggs prior to this and hatching young. Then for five or six years there was no egg laying, let alone fertile eggs. We tried all sorts of environmental manipulations: cooling the water, cooling the air, changing the light---all to no avail.

We even considered getting another male for competition to get the Stone Country male to increase male hormones and testes size. The same year we started considering all these extremes, both females started laying eggs.

To this day, we still don't know if he went off the boil, so to speak; if it was him or the girls. Since then, the girls each lay four to six in an egg chamber in the sand and cover them over. We usually know because we'll see test holes beforehand. If you miss that they'll let you know soon enough. If you step into their land area they'll clap you out of the enclosure; clapping with the jaws and you do a high step dance straight out of there, avoiding those clapping jaws."

Although Birkett has had puncture holes in his boots, he's never been bitten.

Caring for the total well being of the animals, engaging in research and sharing the information with other zoos, takes a special sort of person. Birkett says zoo-keepers for crocodiles, like all other animals, need to have the ‘animal sense' to understand the behavioural and physiological signs essential to respond to the creature's needs. He doesn't always know straight away who will make a good keeper for the crocodiles, but he knows who will not.

"The ones to avoid are the gung-ho, showman, macho man. They are an accident waiting to happen. More importantly, they give the wrong message about an incredible animal that deserves to be interpreted properly. The macho keeper generally reinforces all the myths about crocodiles and puts them in a less positive light. The macho show becomes the focus rather than the animal themselves.

They're not an aggressive animal. They won't attack for no reason. They are  territorial animals and so are defending their territories. The macho keepers are reinforcing the ‘aggression' by using the word ‘aggressive'. That doesn't respect an animal which is being defensive.

They are opportunist animals. They are a hunter. They are a predator. That doesn't mean they are being aggressive. Crocodiles are opportunistic gorge feeders.

And we have to save the species using anything we have at our disposal. Zoos and sanctuaries. I don't think we have the will to save the habitat. We pay lip service to it yet we continue to tear down the forests and fill in the wet lands to promote the success of the weed called humans."

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Lynne Kelly is the author of Crocodile: evolution's greatest survivor, published by Allen & Unwin, 2006