A Toronto couple gave up their personal zoo of nearly 150 crocodiles and alligators last week after realizing they grew too big and could no longer care for them, reported the Toronto Star.
Upon realizing they could no longer care for the creatures, they called for help from Canada's Indian River Reptile Zoo. Bry Loyst, founder of the zoo, said he was in disbelief when the couple told him how many animals needed to be picked up.
"They told me the number and I was like, 'Yeah right,'" Loyst told the Globe and Mail. "So I went down and had a look, and sure enough it was true."
Loyst noted that it wasn't just the amount of crocodiles that surprised him, but their size as well. The crocodilians were all adults, ranging from 4 to 10 feet in length.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," said Loyst. "I could not believe that somebody had that many crocodilians and raised them to adulthood. These were not baby little crocodiles. They were adults."
It took about 20 volunteers four days to remove the crocodiles and alligators and take them by truck to the zoo, located about 100 miles east of Toronto. The zoo didn't identify the couple or where they lived, but did say they were in an "industrial-residential" area near Tornto, where it's illegal to own crocodiles and alligators. Loyst noted that the couple handed over "a large sum" of money, which the sanctuary will use to expand its crocodile rescue building.
Loyst commended the couple for giving the crocodiles to a zoo rather than release them onto the streets of Toronto.
"He did a lot of wrong things, but kudos to him," Loyst told CBCNews. "He did the right thing by giving [the animals] a better place."
Loyst also gave them props for keeping the crocs healthy.
"Most of the animals are in great health," he told the Star. "They don't have much muscle tone, obviously, because they can't move much, but they're fairly healthy. We're really impressed."
Despite his praise, Loyst was still confused about why they had so many crocodiles to begin with.
"Why [they] wanted that many animals is beyond me," said Loyst.
