Emperor Valley Zoo’s crocodile is dead

Crocky was one of the facility’s longest kept residents at the zoo.

He was discovered lying in his enclosure located near the entrance of the zoo at about 4 pm that day.

When he was first brought to the zoo, Crocky would have been over ten years old, placing him at a mature age of 55 years plus.

Curator of the zoo, Nirmal Biptah, said although Crocky began exhibiting a slowing down of activities two weeks ago from age-related causes, a full necropsy report was being commissioned to determine the exact cause of death.

President of the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago, Gupte Lutchmedial said Crocky’s death was heartbreaking to members of staff and the public.

“People were accustomed to seeing Crocky as soon as they walked into the zoo, he was one of the first animals that people saw.

“He did not eat in the last week and the keepers fed him twice a week.

“He got chicken as a snack and red meat, beef and horse, for his meals.

Lutchmedial said because of the size of the reptile (he estimated the crocodile to be over 800 pounds) he expected that vets would come to the zoo to perform the necropsy.

He added that Crocky would be buried at the zoo however a place has not yet been designated.