Violent Break and Enter at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre

[anguskennedy]

Has anyone heard about the recent attack at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre? Apparently a 7 year old kid broke in, killed quite a few of the reptiles then fed them to one of the crocodiles, including a 20 year old goanna.

I havent found an article on this, I only just heard it on the triple J news a few minutes ago and I couldnt see anything on a quick google search.

Any more info?

If its true, you can say with some certainty that if a 7 year old has done something like that it has to be linked to the way he is treated at home. I hope the punishment he gets is having to do community service at the park, so he gains a respect for them, and hopefully some of the staff can help change his attitudes and put him back on the right track.

 

[euphorion]

surely that can't be true?

 

[cris]

Thats very disturbing news

I hope the punishment he gets is having to do community service at the park, so he gains a respect for them, and hopefully some of the staff can help change his attitudes and put him back on the right track.

I agree, if he didnt change they could just feed him to the croc anyway.

 

[Khagan]

The hell...

 

[Duke]

I heard it this morning on TripleJ too, on the 11am news.
There was a spokesman from the park talking.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/02/2380197.htm?site=idx-nt

Northern Territory police are investigating a break-in at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre during which several animals were killed.
Police say they received a report yesterday morning that a young boy had broken into the centre in Stuart Terrace.
The centre's owner, Rex Neindorf, says 13 lizards and a turtle were killed, with most thrown into the crocodile pen.
He says the gruesome discovery was made just before 8:00am yesterday.
"One of the staff was actually out the back and actually heard a noise going on in the crocodile pond.
"He put his head over to investigate and the crocodile was actually eating one of the animals then upon a quick look around the back he discovered more had gone missing.
"The saddest thing is we've lost our female spencer's goanna. We've had her for close to 10 years and she's around 20 years old, so that's a big loss for us."
Mr Neindorf says he's saddened someone so young was involved in the killings.
Police are reviewing security camera footage of the incident.

There was a story on the news the other night too, about the "Worst act of animal cruelty" I think three teens were involved. They blamed the incident on boredom during school holidays.
Here it is:
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/09/30/Dog_found_hanging_in_horrific_animal_cruelty_case


And another, just in today:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24431831-5006784,00.html

ANNNDDD Yesterday [EDIT] it's the same story as the one two links above, with dog found hanging:
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/10/01/Dog_found_deliberately_set_on_fire




DEFINTELY way too many kids bored these school holidays.

 

[miss2]

7 years old....mmm trying to rember ack that far... struggling lol! was that like year 2?
what a mungrel, sorry but anyone who peforms animal cruelty acts, i dont care how old they are, deserves the have the EXACT same thig done back....

 

[caustichumor]

Do you really think staff would want him there?

 

[Duke]

Just updated my first post in this thread. FOUR acts of animal cruelty in just one week...

 

[JasonL]

that sucks, though I still can't see how it was all done by a 7 year old, more like a group of 15 year olds?

 

[jessb]

DEFINTELY way too many kids bored these school holidays.

And we complain about them asking stupid questions on here! At least it is (relatively ) constructive!

I wasn't even allowed out of the house on my own when I was 7! Didn't his parents wonder where he was? Really, the parents are the only ones to blame in this situation - they have taught no respect for animals, no respect for property and no responsibility for their child's own actions. They shouldn't be allowed to raise a kid if this is what he does!!!

 

[ally_pup]

I dont see how one seven year old could break into the park all by himself damage what he apparently did and life a 20 year old goanna into a croc enclosure. Surely this can't be true and if so more must be involved.

 

[aoife]

absoloutley disgusting!
makes my stomach chirn, i wish i had just 1 minute with these lowlifes!

 

[melgalea]

wow. i have a 7 year old daughter and she is so respectful to wildlife, so its quite disturbing to hear that a young child has commited this act....

 

[anguskennedy]

Really, the parents are the only ones to blame in this situation

Yeh, thats what I was getting at, sure it would be hard to have him doing service at the centre but I would see it as his only chance of being around positive role models, and that it may be the best way of changing his attitudes and stopping any repeat offedning. I mean he is only 7, you have to have absolutely crap parents, and most likely be abused, to do something like that at the age of 7.

 

[Duke]

Who lets there 7yo kid out at 7am?

 

[caustichumor]

It sounds like this kid was the only one to get caught (well he is 7) and was more then likely a cockatoo for a group of older kids...

 

[Duke]

That's what I was thinking too, but the report I linked to earlier mentions security footage showing the boy jumping a fence and throwing the reptiles into the pool.

 

[Chris1]

thats horrible, would it be called justice to throw the offenders in with the croc?

 

[sigridshurte]

thats one stuffed up kid ......parents must not be any batter....that makes me really mad!

 

[Dipcdame]

My daughters neighbours let their kids go running around the street at all hours of the night, they wouldn't even know anyway, theyve usually been drinking all day and are too much outta their tiny little minds to know anything. My 7 year old granddaughter went around there to sleep over and unbeknown to next doors, she came home knocking on the door at 11.45 pm!!!! When my daughter went around to see what was going on, she found the mother in bed watching tv, and the father drunk laid out with a beer bottle in his hand on the lounge floor!!! Needless to say, granddaughter didn't sleep over that night!!!!!