Zookeepers wrestle alligator to save eggs


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SOMERSBY, Australia — Five zookeepers recently had to wrestle an alligator in Australia in order to save the animals eggs from being destroyed.

The zookeepers at the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby restrained the female alligator by piling on top of her, while others collected the eggs.

Tim Faulkner, executive manager of operations, told the Daily Telegraph there were a couple reasons the eggs had to be removed.

"One is that alligators are cannibals," he said. "If they hatched in here they would be eaten by all other alligators."

The other reason is the climate in the area: it is too hot for alligator eggs to hatch naturally. The 15 eggs the zookeepers collected will be incubated. Baby alligators typically hatch after 70 days of incubation, and their sex can be determined by the temperature at which they are incubated. Females are likely to hatch from cooler temperatures.

The zookeepers told the Newcastle Herald the raid was riskier than usual because of a rogue alligator that has taken to charging the zookeepers.

‘‘We're not sure whether he is the boss, or thinks he's the boss of the other male alligators,'' Faulkner told the paper.

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Stephanie Grimes

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