[BITList] Croc Whisperer. Barron River. Cairns. Australia

Tue Dec 6 01:21:41 GMT 2011

G'day folks,

This was sent to me today by a friend.

It looked too good to be true.  Follow the story to the end.

ooroo

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Don't know where these photos were taken but it was not in Queensland,
Bannana Benders can be silly bastards at the best of times, but their not dumb bastards like this bloke LOL

Croc Whisperer. Barron River. Cairns. Australia

The Crocodile Whisperer

Rather than trying to tame wild stallions, fearless Cairns fisherman Chito prefers a playful
wrestle in the water with his best pal Pocho - a deadly 17ft crocodile.

The 52-year-old daredevil draws gasps of amazement from onlookers
by wading chest-deep into the water, then whistling for his 980lb buddy –
and giving him an affectionate hug.

Chito made friends with the croc after finding him with a gunshot wound
on the banks of the Barron River Cairns Australia 30 years ago.

He had been shot in the left eye by a cattle farmer and was close to death.

But Chito enlisted the help of several pals to load the massive reptile into his boat.

He says: "When I found Pocho in the river he was dying, so I brought him into my house

"He was very skinny, weighing only around 150 lb.
I gave him chicken and fish and medicine for six months to help him recover.

"I stayed by Pocho's side while he was ill, sleeping next to him at night.
I just wanted him to feel that somebody loved him, that not all humans are bad.

"It meant a lot of sacrifice. I had to be there every day..
I love all animals - especially ones that have suffered."

It took years before Chito felt that Pocho had bonded with him
enough to get closer to the animal.

He says: "After a decade I started to work with him.
At first it was slow, slow. I played with him a bit, slowly doing more.

"Then I found out that when I called his name he would come over to me."

At one point during his recovery, Chito left the croc in a lake near his house..
But as he turned to walk away, to his amazement
Pocho got out of the water and began to follow him home.

Chito recalls:  "That convinced me the crocodile could be tame."
But when he first fearlessly waded into the water with the giant reptile
his family was so horrified they couldn't bear to watch.
So instead, he took to splashing around with Pocho when they were asleep..

Four years ago Chito showed some of his tricks to friends,
including getting the animal to close his eyes on command,
and they convinced him to go public with a show.

Now he swims and plays with Pocho as well as feeding him
at the lake near his home in the Lakeland river north west of Cairns QLD . 

The odd couple have now become a major tourist attraction,
with several tour operators, including Crocodile Adventures,
taking visitors on touring cruises to see the pair.

On the Crocodile Adventures website it describes the spectacle as:
"One of the most amazing things that no tourist will want to miss,
the adventure show between the man and the crocodile."

ONLY IN NORTH QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - AMAZING!!!

=========================================

Not so fast mate! 

See…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnWuOwewZSM

and

http://shortarmguy.blogspot.com/2011/01/crocodile-whisperer.html

As I write, frequently, if it sounds too good to be true, it generally isn't.

ooroo

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