Overview
- Police say two boys aged 16 and 17 cut locks to a back‑of‑house crocodile enclosure about 7:15pm on Sunday and were captured on CCTV striking the animal with a metal pole before ripping cameras from the wall.
- WA Police arrested the youths at separate homes in Baldivis and Belmont after the incident was reported the next morning and charged each with criminal damage, trespass and animal cruelty.
- Perth Zoo named the crocodile Dangalabba, said he sustained only minor injuries and is being closely monitored and treated by the zoo’s veterinary and animal care teams.
- In Perth Children’s Court a prosecutor detailed alleged conduct including taunting the crocodile with a bottle and smashing cameras; one boy was remanded in custody to return on Friday while the other was released on bail into Department of Communities care with a later court date.
- Perth Zoo has condemned the act as reckless, is reviewing physical and surveillance security, and is cooperating with WA Police as the case progresses through the children’s court system.