Teens lucky to be alive after alleged attack on 'problem' croc, handler says

A crocodile handler who worked with a 400 kilogram crocodile that was allegedly attacked by teenagers at Perth Zoo has described the animal as highly unpredictable, and said the pair is lucky to be alive.

The teens, aged 16 and 17, faced the Children's Court in Perth on Tuesday charged with criminal damage, trespass and animal cruelty after allegedly breaking into the zoo's crocodile enclosure and striking the reptile with a metal pole.

The 45-year-old crocodile, known as Dangalabba, was born in the wild and removed from Darwin Harbour due safety concerns. 

The four-metre reptile was then taken to Broome's Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park, before being sent to Perth Zoo in 2019.

'Problem' crocodile

Crocodile handler Luke Campbell worked at the park when Dangalabba was there.

He said the reptile was so unpredictable, staff could never turn their backs on it.

Mr Campbell said Dangalabba was a "problem crocodile" when he came out of Darwin Harbour, where he had been harassing fishermen.

"It'd rip my head off if I give him the chance and not even think twice about it," he said.

"Other animals look at us as a food source, with a croc we are just an extension of the chicken.

"Three metres and over is basically a killer."

He said it was impossible to tame wild crocodiles.

"It doesn't matter how long that crocodile's been in captivity, it can never be tamed. If anything, they can be more dangerous, as they know our patterns and they've got more confidence," he said.

"This is a different animal to any other on the planet … they just explode. If you get a slight bit of panic or trip over, your life is over."

Banging on cage

Police said the boys entered the zoo in South Perth around 7:15pm on Sunday and cut the locks to the enclosure, then banged on the wall of the cage, agitating the crocodile which lunged toward them.

The Perth Children's Court heard one of the boys hit the crocodile with a metal pole, while the other boy allegedly held a torch.

Damaged security cameras were noticed by Zoo staff on Monday morning, and the matter was reported to police. 

Officers found the teenagers at separate addresses in suburban Baldivis and Belmont and took them into custody.

Outside court on Tuesday, one of the teens told the media they "never meant to hurt" the animal.

Lucky not to be in morgue

Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the boys had allegedly committed a serious crime.

"We have 16 and 17-year-old boys before the court, we're lucky we don't have 16 and 17-year-old boys in the morgue,"

Commissioner Blanch said.

Perth Zoo said the crocodile suffered minor injuries, and was being monitored by the veterinary team.

The animal was seen behaving as normal on Wednesday, going outside its pool to soak up the sunshine.