Jacob Nalbandian meets Rex the Crocodile at Sydney Wildlife World

The brand new Kakadu Gorge habitat has been modelled on a dramatic and beautiful gorge in tropical Kakadu National Park. Sheer cliffs of red sandstone loom over a quiet billabong, complete with waterfalls. Colourful finches fly across the water’s surface, catching your eye, and you may even notice shoals of small fish cruising past the window. The experience is fully immersive - it almost feels as though you're standing in the gorge itself, chest deep in water.

…which can be unnerving, for just under the surface of this seemingly placid scene lurks Kakadu Gorge’s main inhabitant - a giant 5 metre Saltwater Crocodile called Rex. Not only can you see this massive predator within just inches from under water, on the upper level you can get a top-down view as well, both inside (if you’re game!) and outside of the enclosure.

To study Rex closely from a behavioural sciences perspective, Austral Surveillance deployed a high resolution
Mobotix M12 camera to monitor Rex in his habitat. These images will be closely watched by the keepers in an attempt to unlock some of the secrets of this prehistoric creature.

Austral Surveillance would like to thank Chris Watt and Dean Hobbin from Mobotix Australia,
Wildlife World keepers John and Jason and
Alan King from AMK Electrical, for their help with this project