Animal lover fined for crocodile in bedroom
28/08/2008
A man from near Wolverhampton was fined £100 after letting a crocodile take up residence in his bedroom.
The Express & Star reported that the father-of-two Gareth Johnson claimed he had "rescued" the animal, which he said was due to be put down by a pet shop in the city.
It added that the Black Country resident was served with a £100 fine as well as £150 in court costs after being unable to afford a licence to keep the animal, which would have cost a further £412.
Mr Johnson was noted by the news provider to also own 45 snakes, including four Burmese pythons, alongside two tortoises.
The council were alerted to the bed-based crocodile after the shop owner called the local council upon discovering that he also needed a licence to keep the animal.
Online information resource Crocodilians noted that the crocodile does not enter deep sleep - instead crocs "are wired to wake up at the slightest disturbance", acting as "an important survival trait".
