Two dangerous and exceptionally grumpy Australians have been welcomed to New Zealand after testing the patience of their in-flight cabin crew. Saltwater crocodiles Scar, from Darwin, and Goldie, from Cairns, are the first of their species to be flown across the Tasman - and the pair weren't going to take the relocation lying down.
The duo broke their head restraints mid-flight, thrashing so hard that the Hercules plane transporting them shuddered and shook.
"It got pretty exciting on board, that's for sure," said John Dowsett, general manager of Auckland's Butterfly Creek Zoo, which the crocs now call home. "The plane was shaking and the pilot turned to me and said
`that's your crocs having a bit of a go'.
"We gave them drugs, a muscle relaxant to calm them down, and that seemed to work but boy, are they powerful. "You can see why we needed the Royal New Zealand Air Force on this job." The Hercules was the only aircraft deemed large and sturdy enough to transport the monster predators.
Both male, they are four metres long and weigh over half a tonne each, and are now the largest, and most dangerous carnivorous predators in New Zealand.
More:
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/giant-crocs-cause-plane-problems-20090423-agaw.htmlBefore you say- wait a minute, what about sharks:
18 foot croc making short order of a bull shark.