2nd Annual Crocs Galore Gala

Lori Watkins of the Crocodilian Advisory Group has just sent me the following press release about the 2nd Annual Crocs Galore Gala. Make sure you contact Lori (see below) if you want more information about what sounds like a lot of fun.

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North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC

Please come join us for the 2nd Annual Crocs Galore Gala on Saturday, October 25, 2008 for a night of fun to support crocodilian conservation, education and research of the most critically endangered species!

Croctober Halloween Event: FREE to all visitors...9am-5pm: Event will include:

• coloring/craft croc tables for kids.
• crocodilian artifact/biofact table.
• CAG merchandise table.
• Face painting table.
• Opportunity to have your picture taken with a 'ghostly' albino alligator
• Live crocs.
• Live animal show featuring reptiles from around the world by Ken Alfieri from Alligator Adventure.
• Slide presentation about Crocodile Conservation by member of the Crocodilian Advisory Group.
• Raffle of a gharial skull

Evening event 6 pm to 9 pm: 2nd Annual Crocs Galore Gala hosted by the Crocodilian Advisory Group with guest speaker Dr. Brady Barr from National Geographic... the only biologist to capture all 23 species of crocodilians in the wild! Evening Event is by ticket purchase $25 for adults, $15 children 4-13, under 3 free: questions or purchase of tickets...

email Lori Watkins, CAG Fundraising Chair at Lori.Watkins@ncmail.net.

Gala includes heavy hors d'ouvres, beverages, including wine & beer.

• coloring/craft croc tables for kids.
• crocodilian artifact/biofact table.
• CAG merchandise table.
• Live crocs
• Scavenger hunt
• Live/Silent auction, with all proceeds going 100% to the Crocodilian
• Advisory Group.

Room reservations at the: CLARION HOTEL STATE CAPITAL, 320 HILLSBOROUGH ST, RALEIGH, NC 27603-1786 USA, Phone: 919-832-0501. If anyone wants to come to the event and reserve a room, rooms are $79/night and they are blocked off under the Crocodilian Advisory Group.

Closest airport is Raleigh/Durham.

If you are unable to attend the event, but would still like to help, please make checks out to the Toledo Zoo, Croc TAG in the memo line and send to: North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Attn: Lori Watkins, PO Box 967, Manteo, NC 27954. If you would like to donate items for the live/silent auction, please contact Lori Watkins at Lori.Watkins@ncmail.net. Check out the Crocodilian Advisory Group website at www.cag.crocodylia.com Thanks!

Lori Watkins, Crocodilian Advisory Group Fundraising Chair Aquarist/Herpetologist North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

Smaugasboard

No really, I spelled that correctly. You see, we have a crocodile called Smaug in our garden. He's a 14.5 foot (4.5 metre) long Australian Saltwater Crocodile. We called him that because, well, he looks like a smug dragon that could be sitting on a large mound of golden coins. For those that don't immediately see the references, that's what Bilbo Baggins finds the dragon Smaug doing near the end of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Considering that Peter Jackson and Benicio del Toro are producing the movie version of the book at the moment, we thought of sending them Smaug's audition tape. He's quite a dynamic presence, as you can see from the photograph (thanks to Graeme Sawyer).

Oh and incidentally, the board that we used to carry Smaug on when we built the enclosure? That's the Smaugasboard.