He’s a foul tempered heavyweight with the reputation of a rogue, and he’s just arrived in Melbourne.
But far from shunning this “croc star’s” bad boy image, the aquarium is embracing it, making him its biggest attraction.
50-year-old “Pinjarra” is a reluctant star. He weighs in at 750 kilograms, and at five metres long, he has a reptilian rap sheet as long as his jaw.
Born in the wild with expensive tastes – he apparently ate a prize Braham bull worth $ 20,000.
Captured, he lived in a Queensland crocodile park for 30 years, but was moved after fighting. He was then, bizarrely transported in a mini bus all the way from Rockhampton to Melbourne
“We actually stopped for some roadworks, had a chat to the guy about football. He didn’t ask what was in the box and we were quite happy not to tell him what was in the box,” Aquarium vet Rob Jones said.
After 34 hours on the road he was lifted and dragged into his new $ 8 million lair.
But no matter how much love he’s lavished with, it’ll never be reciprocated.
“I mean I’m not going to walk in there and go and pat him on the head. You don’t do those things if you want to stay alive,” Dr Jones said.
