Being a spectator at Croc Hunter Live felt like what it must have been to be at the center of Hurricane Hugo, complete with twisting palm trees and raging water. And I'm not just talking about the down draft from the world's largest single-propeller helicopter either.
Gray clouds started to gather over the zoo as we arrived. You could feel the sense of anticipation and a bit of tension too, wondering if the predicted rain would hold off, worrying about Terri and knowing that Steve's mate, and his rock, couldn't be there. (Terri's dad had a heartattack and she rushed to her hometown, Eugene, Ore., to be by his side.) But everyone from producers to zoo staff was optimistic — as they say in show business, the show must go on.
And so it did; without a hitch. Well, except for when the top jaw rope on Monty, a 15-foot-long, 800-pound-plus mass of croc, snapped and he was in a dangerous death roll, practically at our videographer Bert Collins' feet. It started to drizzle, and Monty ended up perpendicular to his transport box; it wasn't looking good. But you saw all that, and it was a thrilling TV moment.
What you didn't see were the 13 or so guys in the enclosure with the death-rolling Monty and his very hesitant girl, Goldie. They couldn't have been feeling good at that moment.
There were the three cameramen, each of them with a spotter; five of Steve's best "croc boys," as they call them at the zoo; the executive producer and a cue card guy who had to flash color-coded signs at Steve to count down to the commercial breaks. It really was surreal. At any time so much could have gone wrong, but didn't.
Then there was poor Stui, the guy who would give the shirt off his back for a croc, plus his shoelace. He volunteered his shirt and lace to cover Goldie's eyes when Steve wrapped his lace around her jaws to carry her out of her pond. Afterward, Stui felt a tad bit embarrassed, looking for another shirt and assistance from fellow zoo crew staffer Jodie. She sent someone for a shirt, and the person came back with a fresh one. But apparently Stui really did want to keep that pen in his shirt pocket because he put the muddy shirt back on during the move.
All of that added to the tension and excitement of the day, along with the helicopter of course. Zoo staff worried, not only about the condition of Occy, Monty and Goldie before the helicopter lift, but also about other animals that could get caught in the propeller's powerful down draft. Again, all turned out well. The koalas, feet away from the Triple Croc Pond where Monty and Goldie were deposited, slept through the whole thing.
Then there were the fans. About a third of the stands at the Triple Croc Pond had to be emptied for crowd safety before the helicopter could transfer the crocs. Those sitting closest to the scene had to hold on to their cameras and camcorders for dear life, fending off tree bits and water droplets from the ponds, but they seemed to love every minute and cheered raucously when the transfer was complete. Once the crocs were moved, the crowds were allowed to refill their seats.
Spectators oohed and ahhed at each close moment and remained reverentially silent in tense ones as Steve tried to slip the top jaw rope on Occy; with each success he was rewarded with applause.
You could almost see how Steve got the idea to build a Crocoseum. He is a modern-day gladiator of sorts — thrilling crowds with every move he makes and eliciting hero worship in all his fans, from 6-year-old boys to teenage girls and beyond. At the moment, the Triple Croc Pond is his coliseum and instead of slaying beasts he's saving crocs and the crowds erupt in cheers.
With the first night of Croc Hunter Live over, Animal Planet's first-ever live event and the biggest day in Australia Zoo history, and the crocs moved to their new homes safe and sound, the sun breaks and beams brightly. Hurricane-force winds gone, and helicopter landed, we're just at the start of four more days of adventure.
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