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Crocodiles in Kouris damn!!!

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Postby cannedmoose » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:48 pm

demetriou_74 wrote:friendly banter moose. its prob source being "macho" to cover up his predominant feminine side


True, they always say that those who are most homophobic and macho are hiding something... you could be onto something there demetre...
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Postby demetriou_74 » Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:00 pm

slowly slowly we can can unravel that big gay mess that is sources head. ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
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Postby Yiannis » Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:02 pm

Hey guys where to u get all this emoticons, any good websites...
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Postby demetriou_74 » Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:03 pm

http://www.emoticons4u.com/

just click the one you want and paste on a post.
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Postby Yiannis » Thu Jun 23, 2005 8:04 pm

Niiiice, Thanks buddy.
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Postby demetriou_74 » Thu Jun 23, 2005 9:33 pm

as the saying goes. now i will have to kill you Image
sorry :lol: :lol:
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Postby Yiannis » Sat Jul 02, 2005 1:25 am

Still no clues on ‘Kouris crocs’
By Stefanos Evripidou

AUTHORITIES are still stumped as to the whereabouts (if existence) of the four crocodiles reportedly dumped in Kouris Dam in Limassol. Meanwhile, one croc hunter has warned of possible attacks on humans once the snappy reptiles reach two years of age.

Police were tipped off last week that illegally trafficked baby crocodiles were dumped in the huge dam earlier this year when they got too big to feed.

The Agriculture Ministry held an emergency meeting of all the relevant services last Wednesday to discuss how to tackle the potentially dangerous situation.

After investigating the case and questioning those involved, police shrugged their shoulders, saying they could neither confirm nor deny that crocodiles had been let loose in the dam.
According to sources, the man accused of dumping the crocodiles denied doing so, telling police that the reptiles had died of natural causes six months ago.

Acting head of the Veterinary Service Georgios Neophytou told the Cyprus Mail that his department was investigating the records of all crocodiles brought to the island.

“We are looking at who brought crocodiles in, what licences they have and whether the reptiles are still accounted for. So far, there are no missing crocs,” he said.

“There is one case where a man had around five grown crocs on his hands. He reportedly gave away some of them while the others died last year,” he noted.

Neophytou said the Veterinary Service could account for the existence of the ones that were given away. Asked if he could account for those that died, he replied: “The man who owns them is the same man who got bitten by a cobra recently. We are waiting for him to come out of hospital to find out more.”

Asked if there was any chance if the adult crocodiles could have ended up in Kouris Dam, he said: “We are talking about big crocs; you can’t exactly hide them under your armpit.”
The service is now looking to make a comprehensive catalogue of all exotic animals in Cyprus. “We have exotic animals the were brought here legally years before EU legislation came into force. For instance, we know an ape was brought here 10 years ago. We want to make a list of all these animals,” said Neophytou.

Under current legislation, licences for exotic animals are no longer given private individuals, only organisations of some sort.

Authorities are yet to confirm that Kouris Dam is free from crocodiles. If they do exist, we don’t know how many, what type or what size they are, while no information has been given to warn the fishermen who frequent the dam. The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Panicos Pourris was unavailable for comment yesterday.

What the croc hunter says

THERE ARE 23 different types of crocodile and two types of alligator in the world’s waters. The level of danger posed by a particular crocodile is dependent on what species it is.
Baby Nile crocodiles, for example, measure between 40 and 50 centimetres while the adult of the species can grow up to three metres in length.

Freshwater crocodiles can only survive in fresh water, while saltwater crocodiles have been known to survive in both types. Crocodiles usually live from 50 to 100 years, the oldest known crocodile died in a Russian zoo in 1997, aged 115.

The Cyprus Mail asked a crocodile hunter to part with some advice on the best way to deal with the happy snappers.
Bradley Lloyd spent most of his life in South Africa. Following family tradition, he worked as a hunter, specialising in baboons and Nile crocodiles – the only species that lives in that area. Nile crocodiles are notoriously nasty and have been known to attack humans and boats that have strayed too close.

“Assuming the crocs exist (and that they were Nile crocodiles), the first thing you need to do is find out whether they have sufficient food stock to survive. If there is no food, the crocs will die naturally,” he said.

The best way to do this is throw a cast net near the banks and see what fish you catch. “Crocs only stay in shallow water. So throw the net in and see what fish exist round the banks.

“The Nile crocodile’s staple diet is catfish but a croc is a scavenger and will feed on what’s available. If the fish are faster than the croc, then he can’t feed. A fully grown croc weighs 150kg and needs 11kg of fish a day or antelope or what he can find.”

Lloyd noted, however, that in terms of temperature, the crocs would thrive in the dam’s climate.
“Next use a fishing line, put dead chickens on it and stick it near the banks. You use chicken because it decays quickly and crocs usually wait until their prey decays before eating it. If the chickens are being eaten, then you know the crocs are there.”

The next step would be to lure the crocs out of the banks using the chickens and either catching or shooting them.

“They are unintelligent animals. I would rather shoot them because if you lure them out and they escape, it would be difficult to get them out again using the same method. It’s easier to blast them.”

Lloyd explained that baby Nile crocs under a metre long would struggle to survive because they have not yet matured into fully-fledged predators. “Little crocs usually eat birds’ nests; easy prey.

“There are no antelopes drinking on the banks, no food, they are likely to starve.”

Lloyd said biggest headache for the authorities would be if the crocs breed. “Crocs usually lay between 100 and 200 eggs, and only a couple of those survive. However, because it’s a dam, and there are no baboons, monkeys or ferrets to feed off the eggs, all the eggs could hatch and you’d have 100 new crocs to deal with,” he warned.

Asked if human lives were in danger if Nile crocodiles did in fact live in the dam, Lloyd was clear: “If undernourished, they will eat somebody. A human being on the side of a riverbank is considered static food.

“They do not have to hunt them like they do fish. If there is static food there is no question about it, they will go for it. And once they have static food, they never go back to hunting prey.”

And for those who are not yet convinced, Lloyd reminisced a little on his past: “I have had to shoot 500 crocs in South Africa that have eaten people, usually women washing clothes on the riverbank.”

So if you come across a crocodile anywhere in Cyprus, what to do?

“If you are under attack, run away. If you have been caught, put your thumbs in its eyes. Though to be honest, most people under attack are usually too petrified to think at all,” he said
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