A fine product of parenting - Sadistic boy, 7 feeds live reptiles to crocodile

Demonique

By Rebekah Cavanagh
October 03, 2008 07:05am

PARENTS of a seven-year-old who fed lizards to a crocodile during a reptile park break-in are likely to face civil action.

The boy broke into a Northern Territory reptile farm and sadistically fed a stream of its main exhibits to the resident 3m crocodile.

He also bludgeoned three lizards to death in their pens.

Police cannot charge the boy because of his age, the NT News reports.

But the centre's director Red Neindorf said today he was disgusted by the incident, and vowed to take civil action against the family of the boy, whom he has described as a "ratbag".

"We just want to see some action taken against the people who were in charge of the child, whether it be the parents or the guardian," Mr Neindorf said.

"We want people to know that you just can't go out and do these things ... we just want to see someone take responsibility."

Security camera video footage clearly shows every move of the youngster's 35-minute rampage.

One CCTV image shows him with a big smile on his face as he watches the saltie splash around its pool as it attacks a northern blue tongue lizard.

Security camera video footage clearly shows every move of the youngster's 35-minute rampage.

One CCTV image shows him with a big smile on his face as he watches the saltie splash around its pool as it attacks a northern blue tongue lizard.

The malicious foray happened at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre in broad daylight between about 8am and 8.30am on Wednesday.

Mr Neindorf said the behaviour was "disgusting".

"I'm just devastated at the age of the child and the fact no-one wants to take responsiblity," he said.

"The fact a seven-year-old can wreak so much havoc in such a short time, let alone even think of doing something like this, is unbelievable.

"If it was back in my day he'd get a big boot up the arse."

Mr Neindorf said 10 reptiles - a turtle, four western blue tongue lizards, two bearded dragons, two thorny devils and an adult female Spencer's goanna - were thrown into the jaws of the 200kg crocodile named Terry.

A further three lizards - a blue tongue and two thorny devils - were found dead after being "brutally bludgeoned".


http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24439676-952,00.html
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I can't get over the number of morons in the comments section defending the boy's actions, including

and watching a big croc doing what it does best would be great fun for a young fella his age

and I think he is a normal little boy, living in the real world not some imaginary landscape

And maybe the next time this 'normal' little boy will throw another child to a large predator?

Mort5000

Wow... some rather tolerant people in the comments section.

"Who hasn't used a magnifying glass and the sun on a frog or set fire to lizards or street cats. Kids don't know right from wrong, at least he wasn't stealing or taking drugs like some kids do at young ages."

Ah the law of relative measures.
I guess if the kid murdered 10 people, they'd say "at least he didn't murder 100".

Amusing.

marti101

But at 7 years of age he shoould have some grasp on right or wrong.I was looking at the pictures and he seemed to be enjoying it.The parents should be made pay for the damage that he caused,i think its disgraceful people making exscuses for him if he was my child id be mortified.Whether he saw some of the staff do it is not here nor there he broke in and killed innocent animals,theres no exscuse for what he did.You cant always blame other people you have to take control over what your kids do.

lostinnappies

so how did he get so close to them in the first place and why wasnt his parents paying any attention... it was a 35 min rampage. Thats neglect and his behavour only reinforces my suspision that the parents are more to blame then the child. "you write on their slate of who they are" to quote dr. phill. Sorry i just had to lol.

stovelid

Everybody is quick to go down the punish-the-parents route as usual.

I'm as angry at the little fcuker as anybody, but I (and everyone else) have no idea of the parenting (or lack of) involved here. It doesn't say anything much about where they were or the circumstances. The kid could be mentally ill for all we know.

Demonique wrote: »

And maybe the next time this 'normal' little boy will throw another child to a large predator?

Daily mail stuff, this.

Oryx

stovelid wrote: »

Everybody is quick to go down the punish-the-parents route as usual.

I'm as angry at the little fcuker as anybody, but I (and everyone else) have no idea of the parenting (or lack of) involved here. It doesn't say anything much about where they were or the circumstances. The kid could be mentally ill for all we know.

The difference being that most parents of a mentally ill 7 year old would know where he was and what he was doing, all of the time.

IF he is mentally ill in a way not caused by parenting, he certainly wasnt being cared for. And if he isnt mentally abnormal in the conventional sense, what kind of parenting makes a 7yo fcuked up enough to do that? I know little boys do have a sadistic streak but this is taking that to a fair extreme.

Nevyn

I don't think feeding the lizards to the croc was cruel, I do think bashing thier heads in was wrong.
But where were the parents, why was he unsuperivsed ?
Why didn't another adult step in ?

stovelid

Oryx wrote: »

The difference being that most parents of a mentally ill 7 year old would know where he was and what he was doing, all of the time.

Fair enough. I was just making the point that the story is extremely low on details re: whose care the boy was in, his history or whatever.

I'm not defending the parents or him. I detest cruelty to animals.

If the parents are genuinely culpable in any way, fair enough, but all I'm saying is that unless we can all completely guarantee that our kids will never ever do something bad or illegal, making parents wholly responsible for their children's acts is a dodgy road to go down.

Off topic: the boy could go on any crocodile tour (as I have) and some idiot will toss live animals to the crocodile for the crowd. Are we browned off because the animals in this case were rare? I would say that is the main source of anger from the owner of the farm.

Thaedydal wrote: »

I don't think feeding the lizards to the croc was cruel, I do think bashing thier heads in was wrong.
?

Funnily enough, if an Australian posted here and said that when they were a kid, they shot rats with a catapult, bashed them with a iron bar, or fed them to crocodiles. No one would give a sh*t.

Oryx

stovelid wrote: »

Fair enough. I was just making the point that the story is extremely low on details re: whose care the boy was in, his history or whatever.

I'm not defending the parents or him. I detest cruelty to animals.

If the parents are genuinely culpable in any way, fair enough, but all I'm saying is that unless we can all completely guarantee that our kids will never ever do something bad or illegal, making parents wholly responsible for their children's acts is a dodgy road to go down.

Its a hard one to call, in most cases. I know I did crazy stuff when I was young completely off my own bat. My parents had no clue, let alone should have been held responsible. (although it was only marginally illegal...:))

In this particular case though, you do have to wonder where the hell his parents were, regardless of whether you hold them responsible for what the kid actually did.

Off topic: the boy could go on any crocodile tour (as I have) and some idiot will toss live animals to the crocodile for the crowd. Are we browned off because the animals in this case were rare? I would say that is the main source of anger from the owner of the farm.

Yikes. Maybe thats where he got the idea from. Tis a double standard alright.

CDfm

Jaysus - are yous all pc city dwellers.

7 year olds dont know right from wrong the know good from naughty. Santa wears a red suit and there is a tooth fairy.

Kids in the country grow up sometimes hunting and fishing.

In Australia -lizards arent exotic pets I suppose they are vermin like mice or rats here. Yep lets play a feed the crocs game. Dad- can I go feed the crocs - Go on Matey. Get the picture. Kids say mad things to parents all the time as part of games. Fireman, policemen soldiers and zoo keepers.

Pretty woeful security that the kid got in something serious could have happened him.

Anyway anyone think that the the polar bears lives in Dublin zoo wouldnt have improved with live fish in the tank. Or that the lions dont catch and kill birds when they can. Bet the crocs dreary day was brighted up.

Oryx

CDfm wrote: »

Jaysus - are yous all pc city dwellers.

I lived next to a slaughterhouse as a kid. I know where burgers come from.:)

7 year olds dont know right from wrong the know good from naughty. Santa wears a red suit and there is a tooth fairy.

Which is why their parents watch out for them.

Kids in the country grow up sometimes hunting and fishing.

In Australia -lizards arent exotic pets I suppose they are vermin like mice or rats here. Yep lets play a feed the crocs game. Dad- can I go feed the crocs - Go on Matey. Get the picture.

I still wouldnt let my little lad shoot rats, sorry. Maybe I am pc.

Pretty woeful security that the kid got in something serious could have happened him.

Thats the biggest issue. Imagine the headlines if the croc decided to have him for lunch?

CDfm

Oryx wrote: »

Thats the biggest issue. Imagine the headlines if the croc decided to have him for lunch?

Lets hear it for Oryx - my thoughts exactly.

I grew up beside a farm. Pheasant is great and there is nothing better than a fish you catch yourself.So is free range farm fresh chicken

A cat even in the city will kill 20 to 40 birds a year - an unknown number of mice etc.

The boy was just doing what boys do.

Redpunto

It must have taken him some time to do,,, did the parents not wonder where he was??? Sounds like his parents are slightly f*cked up and its rubbed off on him

littlebitdull

I hate that punish/blame the parents mentality as much as the next person, but at the end of the day - when your the parent of a seven year old you are responsible for their actions.

Because lets face it - we parents are supposted to know where our seven year old kids are.

So while I would feel that I can not be responsible for everything my seventeen year old is up to - because I dont always know - I did when he was seven.

And I would have hated to even think he was out bashing up lizards - or cats or dogs or frogs or any animal. At least the ones being fed to the croc had a somewhat natural death - somewhat.

Demonique

CDfm wrote: »

The boy was just doing what boys do.

Charming, I suppose you'd say the same thing if he brought a gun into school and accidentally shot one of his classmates?


There's always some moron, who no matter what a kid does, ends up defending them because they're blinkered by the "ZOMG! He's just a kid, leave him alone!" mentality

CDfm

Demonique wrote: »

Charming, I suppose you'd say the same thing if he brought a gun into school and accidentally shot one of his classmates?


There's always some moron, who no matter what a kid does, ends up defending them because they're blinkered by the "ZOMG! He's just a kid, leave him alone!" mentality

A little kid playing Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter or something like that.

Im not condoning it but I understand it. Its Australia and lizards are like mice or something.

If you had a pet snake you feed them live rats and mice etc. Suddenly by the posts here he has psycho parents.

I grew up in the country, trees, cows , bikes , fishing and hunting etc.Did you ever catch crabs or shellfish to cook. Or cook a lobster.

Animals are at the end of the food chain. Im saying you are blinkered by your pc attitudes. At least the kid was safe. The zoo should be closed if a 7 year can get in to dangerous crocs.

These kind of posts are sick no wonder boys are growing up confused if they are not allowed be boys.

the_syco

CDfm wrote: »

Pretty woeful security that the kid got in something serious could have happened him.

One slip by the kid, and the croc would've had some fun.

=-=

The bludgeoning is the only thing that should be considered odd. That and teh big smile on his face. There's always one f**ked up kid who end up in jail for doing some bad sh|t to those weaker than him.

I'd say put him in for a psych evaluation, in case this is just the beginning,