Boy escapes charges after zoo break-in
A 7-year-old boy has broken into a popular Outback zoo and fed a string of animals to the resident crocodile.
The boy jumped a security fence at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre in central Australia early on Wednesday, then went on a 30-minute killing spree using a rock to slay three lizards.
He then fed the lizards to "Terry," an 11-foot (3.3 metre), 440-pound (200 kilogram) saltwater crocodile, said zoo director Rex Neindorf.
The reptile centre's handler Justin Rutherford said that he was "totally shocked."
The boy, whose deadly acts were caught on the zoo's security camera, also threw several live animals to Terry over the two fences surrounding the crocodile's enclosure, at one point climbing over the outer fence to get closer to the giant reptile.
In the footage, the boy's face remains largely blank, Neindorf said.
He killed 13 animals worth around £3,000 including a turtle, bearded dragons and thorny devil lizards, Mr Neindorf said.
Although none were rare, some would be difficult to replace, he said.
Alice Springs police said they identified the boy, who lives locally, but were unable to press charges because of his age.
© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.
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