Cranky Crocodile Steals, 'Drowns' Lawnmower

Cranky Aussie croc Elvis defeats noisy machine
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 28, 2011 10:14 AM CST

Even by the less-than-happy-go-lucky standards of saltwater crocodiles, Elvis is one cranky and aggressive critter. The 16-foot croc, apparently annoyed by the sound of workers cutting the grass in his enclosure at an Australian reptile park, lunged at a lawnmower and dragged it into a pond. The croc, who lost two teeth in the encounter, "drowned" the mower and then sat watching his catch for an hour, the BBC reports. Park workers—who say their golden rule is to always keep the mower between themselves and the croc—retrieved the mangled mower after distracting Elvis with kangaroo meat.

Elvis, who is believed to be around 50 years old, has a history of anger management issues: He was captured in the wild after he attacked several fishing boats near Darwin. After he ate two potential mates at a crocodile farm, he was moved to the reptile park, where workers now predict that his "victory" over the mower will turn him into even more of a handful. "He's beaten us today—he's kingpin," the park's operations manager tells the Telegraph. "He's going to be walking around with his chest puffed out all day." (More crocodile stories.)

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