'Built on lies': Australia Zoo under fire over totem crocodile's welfare

Old Faithful the crocodile, considered a totem by traditional owners, was captured and transferred to Australia Zoo. (Supplied) Link copiedShareShare articleAlwyn Lyall says he felt "extremely upset and humiliated" when, in front of tourists and staff, police asked him to leave Australia Zoo. "I'm not threatening anybody," he calmly told the two officers who had been called by the zoo's managers. "I'm not trying to trespass on the property. All I'm asking for is information." Mr Lyall, a traditional owner from Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park in Far North Queensland, had travelled to the Sunshine Coast tourist attraction, made famous by "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, to see an almost 5-metre-long saltwater crocodile named Old Faithful. Police asked Alwyn Lyall (left) to leave Australia Zoo. (Supplied) The 80-plus-year-old animal is considered a totem, or like family, to his community. Under Queensland law, Old Faithful is also classified as an "icon crocodile", requiring special considerations. Irwin himself had in the past interacted with the crocodile in North Queensland. Earlier this year, a 7.30 investigation revealed the department responsible for Old Faithful's capture and transfer to Australia Zoo may have breached statutory obligations, resulting in a falling out between traditional owners and the state government, and the consideration of a human rights complaint by lawyers at the Environmental Defenders Office. "The management seem to be hiding," Mr Lyall says in the video recorded outside the zoo on June 3. "I gave them notice yesterday, emailed and rang them, and it seems no-one can find the time to see me." Old Faithful is an almost 5-metre-long "icon crocodile". (Supplied) Mr Lyall believes the crocodile was "wrongfully arrested" by "cowboys" from Queensland's environment department, DETSI, before being transferred 1,700 kilometres from Far North Queensland to Australia Zoo in a deal he says was done "behind closed doors". Mr Lyall says he spoke with customer service attendants at the zoo before talking with another member of staff, who he says he apologised to "because I knew she wasn't part of management, part of the problem". But he initially refused to leave because of the "bigger issue at play". Police confirmed zoo management called them to move him on. "This whole saga, from the beginning, has been built on lies," Mr Lyall told 7.30. Alwyn Lyall travelled to Australia Zoo to see Old Faithful. (ABC News: Tom Hartley) Australia Zoo was contacted for comment and did not respond. However Mr Lyall says he got the message "loud and clear" via the police officers who moved him on. In the video showing the brief interaction, one officer tells him: "We have spoken to the managers here, and they don't want you coming back." "I don't think Terri Irwin knows what's going on," Mr Alwyn told 7.30. "Or if she does, the attitude seems to be: put your head in the sand and hope it'll go away." 7.30 sought an update on Old Faithful's welfare and was told by environment department staff that any suggestion the crocodile might not be "alive and well" was categorically untrue. "Why then is it so hard to send me a photo or a written update?" Mr Lyall asked. A DETSI spokesperson said they spoke to Mr Lyall on June 3, the day he attended the zoo, and also "reached out to him to arrange a subsequent meeting". Old Faithful in the Cairns holding facility before being moved to Australia Zoo. (Supplied) It was September last year when Old Faithful's plight made national headlines. After the crocodile was caught it was kept in captivity at a Cairns holding facility. Mr Lyall alleges the government breached its obligations by abandoning consultation over the crocodile's future. Ultimately, Mr Lyall concluded the crocodile's transfer to Australia Zoo was a deal "done in the dark". His concerns deepened after learning multiple crocodiles had died following similar long-distance transfers within Queensland. His efforts to seek an update on Old Faithful's welfare have "surprised and disgusted" him. Alwyn Lyall believes the state government breached its obligations by not consulting traditional owners over the fate of Old Faithful. (Supplied) In a letter sent to Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell earlier this month, Mr Lyall questioned why "transparency has been so difficult to achieve throughout this process, and why traditional owners have repeatedly had to pursue information, access and engagement that should have been offered as a matter of course". He pointed to a public document, penned by the department, which he believes is hypocritical. The document outlines DETSI's response to key issues raised by the Katter Party's Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill last year, which proposed setting up a new crocodile authority and culling problematic crocodiles. In a section concerning "cultural rights", DETSI wrote that "the department recognises that crocodiles are a cultu

'Built on lies': Australia Zoo under fire over totem crocodile's welfare

Key takeaways

More in international