Boy, 7, feeds animals to crocodile in zoo break-in

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD boy broke into a popular outback zoo, fed a string of animals to the resident crocodile and bashed several lizards to death with a rock, the zoo’s director has said.

The boy jumped a security fence at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre in central Australia early on Wednesday, then went on a 30-minute killing spree, using a rock to kill three lizards, including the zoo’s beloved, 20-year-old goanna, which he then fed to “Terry,” an 11-ft, 440lbs saltwater crocodile, said zoo director Rex Neindorf.

The boy, whose acts were caught on the zoo’s security camera, also threw several live animals to Terry over the two fences surrounding the crocodile’s enclosure, at one point climbing over the outer fence to get closer to the giant reptile. In the footage, the boy’s face remains largely blank, Mr Neindorf said.

“It was like he was playing a game,” he said.

He killed 13 animals worth around $7,000 Australian dollars (£3,000), including a turtle, bearded dragons and thorny devil lizards. Although none were rare, some would be difficult to replace, Neindorf said.

“We’re horrified that anyone can do this, and saddened by the age of the child,” the director said.