TAIWAN: Visitors at a zoo in Taiwan get a chance to get up close and personal with crocodiles

Taiwanese crocodile expert, Chiu Hsi-he, hosts a variety of crocodile collections at a zoo in Tianan, offering visitors a different kind of wildlife experience. 54-year-old Chiu developed an interest in unique animals and learned how to interact on a personal level with many wild creatures, thanks to his rural childhood. 32 years ago, after reading an article about endangered crocodile species, he ventured to open an animal park where he could reproduce crocodiles and assist in their preservation. Some 100 crocodiles from Venezuela were initially imported to start his farm, and more additions joined as his park grew in size and variety. Recently, instead of reproducing crocodiles, he has turned his attention to managing a zoo of unique animals for tourists to visit. Among all the different species of crocodiles in his zoo, a 25-year-old, 1250 kg saltwater crocodile draws the most attention with its massive size and vicious appearance. Although stout and motionless most of the time, a single bite from this crocodile would weigh down more than 270 kg (600 pounds) on its victim -- enough to cause significant injury to most living creatures. But the crocodile's bite poses a seemingly small threat to Chiu. He calmly interacts with the large reptile -- brushing its teeth and even tickling it. His show-stopping act is to place his arm into the crocodile's gaping jaw. Chiu reads foreign books and articles on how to approach crocodiles safely, but he says the real trick lies in a more deeper calming technique. He believes religion plays an important role in taming the animals at his zoo. "The reason why this crocodile is so well-behaved is because we play Buddhist prayers in the park everyday and we never feed moving things to him," Chiu explains. Still, one can never be too careful around a life-threatening animal. When Chiu performs dangerous movements such as putting his head and hand inside a crocodile's mouth, or when he brushes his teeth and body, he is not entirely fearless. He says his biggest concern is the embarrassment that it would cause to see his name in the next morning's newspaper if he were ever to be bitten by one of his own animals. But it's not only Chiu's daredevil stunts that have earned him popularity. He has gained a lot of publicity in Taiwan for hypnotizing some of his animals and performing other less daring stunts. The publicity has paid off and many visitors say they were lured to visit the park after seeing advertisements on television. "I saw the park on television, about a huge crocodile and others, so I brought my family here to see," said one visitor, Mrs. Hsu. Local journalists even enlist his knowledge and professional advice when reporting on crocodiles. When a crocodile bit off a veterinarian's arm in a Taiwan zoo earlier this year, journalists called on Chiu to offer his opinion on the incident. Chiu says his work is far from done and plans to expand his park in the future, to include more species.

ITN Source | August 12, 2007

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