Tallinn Zoo curator on new crocodile: She likes to scare people
Last week, a Cuban crocodile named Dwójka was relocated from the Warsaw Zoo to the Tallinn Zoo. According to Tallinn Zoo curator Julia Kolpakchi, the move went smoothly for the crocodile.
Dwójka is a 28-year-old female Cuban crocodile, a species with one of the smallest natural ranges in the world, found only in two locations: the Zapata Swamp and the Isle of Youth in Cuba. Dwójka, however, was born at Skansen Zoo in Sweden and then moved to the Warsaw Zoo, where she lived for the past 26 years.
"She arrived at our zoo on Thursday night. According to our colleagues in Warsaw, she constantly watches people and loves to scare them. If she senses that someone is afraid of her, she'll jump up and bump the glass with her snout," said Tallinn Zoo curator Julia Kolpakchi.
In Warsaw, Dwójka became known as a weather forecaster. If she anticipated rain, she would refuse to go outside, even if the sky was clear. Zoo staff reported that Dwójka's predictions were never wrong.
Cuban crocodiles are notable for their unique galloping run, Kolpakchi explained. Dwójka is fed once a week with 1.5 kilograms of meat or fish. "We can't feed her more because her enclosure isn't large enough for her to run around and burn off extra calories," Kolpakchi added.
Kolpakchi noted that there's no indication that Dwójka is stressed by the move. "She's a creature with character; she immediately started observing her surroundings and remained very calm. I hope she'll enjoy being at our zoo."
Dwójka's name, meaning "two" in Polish, was given because she arrived at the Warsaw Zoo with three other crocodiles from Skansen. "Each was named One, Two, Three and Four – hence Dwójka," Kolpakchi explained.
Only about 4,000 Cuban crocodiles remain in the wild. However, Dwójka will not be part of any breeding program at Tallinn Zoo, as there are no suitable conditions to house a male. Still, Kolpakchi is thrilled about Dwójka's arrival. "She's very important to our zoo," she said.
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Editor: Rasmus Kuningas, Marcus Turovski