‘SUV’-Size Crocodile Captured: Monster Croc Leaves Masses Awestruck And Peeved


You have to believe it to see it: A crocodile around the “size of an SUV” is how reports are describing the monster-like croc in a picture that’s gone viral online. Just looking at the crocodile’s length is leaving folks awestruck. This is not an animal that you would want to tangle with, but it appears a real-life Crocodile Dundee in Australia did just that.

The image of Outback Wrangler Matt Wright is dwarfed as he’s sitting behind the monster croc he just wrangled in. The crocodile has its snout taped in what looks like miles of duct tape in this viral picture. There are actually two pictures taken from different angles that are posted online, and there’s no mistaking that this animal is prehistoric-like in size.

While some folks are mesmerized by its size, animal rights advocates are seeing something else in this picture. According to Fox News, animal lovers are “criticizing the use of duct tape to bind the animal’s snout shut.”

The comments online are conveying the amazement coming from just getting a gander at this croc’s size, but others are pointing out the cruelty in covering the eyes and snout of the crocodile with the “thick layers” of duct tape. The amount of duct tape seen in the picture wrapped around the crocodile’s eyes and the snout is estimated to be about the equivalent of 10 rolls.

Wright posted the picture of himself with the crocodile on Saturday to his Facebook page, and it quickly went viral. Many folks hopped online to not only protest the use of duct tape on the croc but to criticize its capture as well. Still, others praised Wright for this capture and were happy the community from which this croc came from can rest a bit easier now. The Sun reports that Wright actually saved the croc from “evil trophy hunters.” As far as animal rights go, he is one of the good guys, according to reports.

Andrew Buckly, who is a Facebook user, offered up his knowledge of how these crocodile wranglers operate. They are actually saving the crocs from being shot or destroyed by people who may stumble upon a monster-like creature such as this croc. Below is another crocodile taking a cow down the river. It stands to reason if this is how they eat, for sure the owners of the livestock in the area would be out to kill a monster croc like the one caught by Wright.

Instead of shooting and killing the beast, a crocodile wrangler will capture and secure the animal, thus the duct tape, for transport. They will take it to a more desolate location, where it can live out its life unscathed. It was pointed out by a few social media users that if this croc hunter wanted the monster dead, he would have saved all the trouble of securing the animal and just shot it.

Buckly said that if the croc was left near civilization, “some redneck will just shoot it.” In another, more official statement, the publicist for Wright assured folks that this croc capture was for the good of the animal. This was conveyed to Fox News in an email from the publicist.

“As a crocodile conservationist, one of Matt’s efforts is to help relocate crocs that are in danger of being killed by the property owners. In this instance, this particular croc was a major threat to nearby people and livestock and had to be relocated. The crocodile’s safety and welfare is always a priority and this method is the recommended way to secure the crocodile’s snout by Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife.”

There you have it. It is OK to be amazed and sit awestruck while taking a gander at the croc’s picture without feeling guilty. What you are looking at is actually a humongous crocodile that was saved from an ill-fated future.

[Featured Image by Photomontage/Shutterstock]

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