This is just sickening!

I'll bet he would spit out my ex though.....

I have contacted the Wildlife Officer at Forestry, ACES and the Belize Wildlife Conservation Network. Hopefully something can be done.

What a shame.

Idea: Install cameras and go get the guy that throws stuff and send him into the pond to retrieve it,,,or

I kinda like that idea Jesse!

While crocodiles have the strongest stomach acid (comprised of hydrochloric acid and peptic proteolysis) of any creature alive on the planet today, something as small as a wooden toothpick swallowed by an adult croc can penetrate the animal's stomach wall causing lesions, damage to internal organs, peritonitis, and can even cause cirrhosis of the liver. Larger gastric foreign objects, even when otherwise edible such as bird wings, have caused stomach distension in crocs resulting in death. As for foreign objects “passing on through,” crocodiles actually have an extremely small pyloric opening into the duodenum which prevents the escape of accidentally ingested objects, such as the trash in this photo; thus, the animal dies of gastric blockage. Although crocs do regurgitate tiny hair balls (yes, like cats and owls), it seems they are unable to regurgitate larger unwanted non food items due to their anatomy. For many reasons, a fed croc is a dead croc.

Recent necropsies have proven that crocodiles cannot digest plastics. A swallowed garbage bag will solidify in the crocs belly and harden. This can take up so much space in the animals gut that it impedes digestion and the croc will slowly starve to death. Not to mention blockage. Please dispose of trash properly and take the time to pick up garbage when you see it, especially in aquatic habitats. For those that aren't croc lovers, turtles often mistake plastic bags as jelly fish and consume them. Injection of plastics is the number one killer of endangered seas turtles.

Cherie, I've asked for a video link of a croc necropsy from one of my sons' friends who was guide manager on Turneffe a few years back. It's not for the faint of heart. The video demonstrates exactly what you're describing with repsect to plastic bags and other garbage. Crocs are the reptilian version of tiger sharks; they'll eat anything that seems to have even the faintest hint of food value, particularly if they've been imprinted. The animal in question apparently died from either starvation or complications that arose from trauma to its digestive tract. I'll forward the link if I end up getting him to repsond. It would make for a good "shock value educational film" to a select audience...

I should add that clear plastic bags are a particularly nasty problem for turtles who eat them thinking they are jellyfish. Slow nasty death. Ditto for gulls and terns on bright colored pastics. Quite a few studies done in the Eastern Pacific.