Sleigh what? Santa’s snapper causes Top End terror
A loosely tied crocodile sparked fears of animal cruelty and accidents, until the festive truth emerged when it was seen croc-ing around the Christmas tree. Read the details.
A driver and their snapping croc delivered quite a shock to Territorians on the road this weekend as drivers questioned whether they were seeing an act of animal cruelty or terrifying art.
The question of croc or rock was raised by a former crocodile farm employee when a family member spotted the large reptile travelling on Kirkland Drive near Palmerston on Saturday afternoon.
Sitting on a roll of fake grass on the back of a vehicle, the crocodile was very loosely tied down with two ropes with a wrap around its eyes and head.
When sent the photo, the Territorian who has cared for crocodiles but wished to remain anonymous, reacted in shock.
“I sent that to my boss and they went ‘What the f*** is wrong with people?’” they said.
“We all freaked out saying is this real?
“And then we thought maybe it’s fake, maybe it’s a statue.
“If not that’s highly illegal and very dangerous.”
As the reptile was uncovered, its snout was not taped and it was not properly secured, the Territorian if it was real, it could have easily caused an accident.
“If it’s fake, it’s definitely got everybody thinking what the hell,” they said.
“Maybe they were doing it for the attention.”
However, the confusion was cleared up when the predator was spotted parading at Darwin’s Christmas Pageant decked out in a Christmas hat and tinsel.
After seeing a photo online of the scaly reptile taking part in the festive fun by perching off the end of the ute in Darwin, the original croc-spotter was relieved but said they could not have been the only one questioning its earlier transport.
“The driver probably freaked a lot of people out,” they said.
On Saturday night, the rock croc was among scaled friends as Santa made an appearance with a barramundi and a real-life snake (we checked) also paraded down city streets.
The city was brimming with Christmas spirit as thousands of people packed Darwin’s roads to watch the Christmas Pageant and enjoyed performances from dance studios and rock bands.
Minister for Major Events and Tourism and Hospitality Marie-Clare Boothby said it was a fantastic turnout on the night.
“The floats looked incredible, and the expansion of the event this year with the new additions of the Makers Market and Christmas Concert brought even more colour, creativity, and festive spirit to the evening,” she said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Sleigh what? Santa’s snapper causes Top End terror
Man 25 arrested for allegedly ramming three police cars
