Darwin - Ever seen alligators prey pouncing forward or to the side? That is common. Adelaide River, Australia, tourists can see crocodiles ambush their prey by jumping straight up.
It is a daily sight in the Adelaide River, one hour from the city of Darwin, Australia. Adelaide streams and rivers in the area of Northern Australia (Northern Territory) is a place of settlement of the alligator, in addition to the existing marshes in the savanna plains there.
But the leap to the top of the crocodiles do not always performed to chase each prey. Only prey that had been prepared by the manager of the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise, which make these crocodiles can jump straight up.
Opened since 1971, Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise is quite popular for tourists in the Australian domestic or foreign tourists who were in Darwin. With a spend AUD 35, the visitors will climb towards the middle-sized vessels Adelaide River.
Our media entourage joined AirAsia familirization held up the ship. Not even 15 minutes the ship moved from the banks of the river, on the left side of the ship is visible crocodile measuring 2 meters moved closer. At right angles a distance, is also seen another crocodile with a larger size. But the crocodile was, reluctantly impressed and indifferent to the presence of the ship in the middle of the river.
Saw no crocodiles approaching, the captain was immediately spun and stopped the boat. When the ship stopped driving, aloe body to hit the bottom of the ship. Lucky visitors placed on the upper deck, which is located high enough on the surface of the water.
From here, the show begins. A crew took the bait in the form of a bucket of beef that had been prepared. Using a length of wood that the edges are bound with ropes, swung down the meat, such as the middle man fishing.
The first crew tried to tease a crocodile-themes that remain attached to the vessel wall. Meat is placed on the surface of the water, about three feet from the mouth of a crocodile. The reptiles were trying to pounce. SLOSH ...! Crocodile attempts failed because the meat is pulled away.
"And now it's show time," said the ship captain who also serves as a guide using loudspeakers, Wednesday (09/10/2013).
The crew of the vessel that holds the 'fishing' meat is then hung about a meter above the mouth of the crocodile snout. Occasional meat right down on top of the crocodile's eyes.
Seeing no meat right on it, the crocodile was then jump high enough. Hap .. Meat is still yet to be obtained. But still no success crocodile eating prey that visitors expect. The tourists clap their hands managed to see crocodiles can jump as high as about 1.5 meters from the surface of the water.
"If there was a ball and ring, the crocodile could be a slam dunk," joked Bill Zamit of the Department of Tourism Northern Australia, who was also inside the ship.
About half an hour we were on the boat and around the corner to a number of Adelaide River. In that period, there are six alligators who 'tricked' and was forced to jump to get the meat prey. Most of the crocodiles that failed to pounce when jumping. But in the end, the beginning of the ship gives a hunk of meat into the feed for free to the crocodiles.
Crocodiles are animals and the most wary diindungi in northern Australia region. There is always a sign of a ban, notice or request to not hunt alligators in any river or water and swamps in Australia.
"But somehow always alone every year there are many incidents of victims (people) who killed the crocodile," Zammit said.