150 crocodiles and alligators rescued from man’s home

About 150 crocodilians were removed from a Toronto-area home last week after their owner reached out to a nearby reptile sanctuary for help with his bonkers hoarding problem, CBC News reports.

“I think it started out as a business and he fell in love with the crocodiles and kept them as pets”, Loyst said.

A staff of 20 volunteers worked to move the animals.

The city prohibits owning crocodiles as pets, as it does bears, elephants, poisonous animals and other exotic creatures. The animals were all healthy and did not need veterinary care.

“They did the right thing by donating them to a better place”, he said. “We’re really impressed”.

A conservation group has its hands full after 150 alligators, crocodiles and caimans were rescued from a Toronto residence last week.

Loyst said the married couple handed over the crocodiles along with some money, which the sanctuary used to expand its crocodile rescue building.

Fiona Venedam, a supervisor with Animal Services, said news of the 150 crocodilians kept in Toronto was unexpected. A spokeswoman for the city said Toronto Animal Services received no complaints about the reptiles so no investigation will be launched. The zoo said it is too early to definitively determine the actual sex of each crocodile.

The reptiles, some more than three metres long, had been kept in a home for about 10 years before Bry Loyst of the Indian River Reptile Zoo near Peterborough, Ont., was called in to help.

The zoo will also need help getting enough food for its new residents, Loyst said, emphasizing the zoo’s use of leftovers from a local chicken farmer.

The baby crocodiles are being cared for behind the scenes at the Reptile Discovery Center, but visitors can see adult Cuban crocodiles Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Jefe on exhibit now. “Just one crocodilian requires a lot of space and a lot of time and a life-time commitment”, NGO said – aside from the fact that the crocodiles are “completely illegal” in the city. He said it’s a purchase that never works out well for the owner or the animal.

“They should be back in their countries of origin in the wild”.