Crocodylus Park: Man breaks in, manhandles croc and kills ducks behind wheel of stolen vehicle

A brazen break-in at one of Darwin’s top wildlife attractions left staff reeling after an intruder damaged vehicles, killed endangered birds, and harassed a young crocodile. READ THE LATEST.

One of the crocodile utes from Crocodylus Park was hot wired and stolen on Thursday Morning. Picture: Crocodylus Park.

A man is on the run after breaking into a Top End wildlife park, harassing a crocodile before using a stolen car to run over a flock of birds while escaping.

Staff at Crocodylus Park outside Darwin made the discovery of the break-in about 6.30am on Thursday.

The man is alleged to have caused damage to “90 per cent” of the park’s vehicles in an attempt to ‘hot wire’ them, leaving them unable to be driven.

Tools were also found scattered across the property.

Park manager Emily Broomham told this masthead the man had tried to steal five cars and a golf cart.

The man was said to have also entered the park’s workshop where he found a young live crocodile.

CCTV footage reportedly shows the man picking up the reptile, taking selfies, dropping the crocodile, and then chasing it.

One of the crocodile utes from Crocodylus Park was hot wired and stolen on Thursday Morning. Picture: Crocodylus Park / Sourced.

Ms Broomham said the crocodile was not taken out of the park and did not suffer injuries during the incident.

“We’ve been conducting searches, and thankfully, we located him (the crocodile) in one of our ponds,” she said.

In a horror end to the man’s alleged break-in, Ms Broomham said the man successfully stole one of the vehicles and in the process of making his mad dash out of the park, ran over a flock of local ducks.

“It’s devastating – these animals mate for life,” she said.

NT Police are investigating and have been contacted for comment.

Ms Broomhead lamented the incident, saying it was a major hit for a family-run business to take.

“This is a massive setback for us,” she said.

We’re a small, family-run business, and now we’ve lost a vehicle, and staff are struggling without transport.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve had a break-in, and it’s incredibly frustrating.”

More to come.

Originally published as Crocodylus Park: Man breaks in, manhandles croc and kills ducks behind wheel of stolen vehicle