[BITList] Whisperer of Barron River

[John Feltham]

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 QLD — AMAZING!!!  
 
 
.



Some comments of mine…

It says that the croc comes to him when called. 

How does a croc know what its name is?

It also says that the croc lives in a river.

One day the man will jump into the river to find a croc with no name - that croc will eat him!   :-)


ooroo




 
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