Florida 'Crocodile Whisperer' uses controversial method to fight nuisance reptiles

SPACE COAST, Fla. - Central Florida is home to alligators, but crocodiles are known to make an appearance as well. An alligator can be relocated, but crocodiles are persistent and will return to the area.

A crocodile hunter, or "Crocodile Whisperer," if you will, is getting inside their head to think outside the box. A croc in a construction zone isn’t something you see every day, but it’s exactly what Chris Guinto was going for.

"I would capture, aversive conditioning and then relocate," said Guinto who is a retired crocodile response agent with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Guinto says the crocodile he captured in a construction zone was a nuisance croc he strapped to a board and started aversive conditioning. The method involves bungee cords to tie up the croc, noise to blast near its ears, and sometimes even a blindfold over the animal's eyes. Since crocodiles are shy creatures that don't like noise or human interaction, Guinto says he uses that against them.

"We catch the animal and leave it in the complaint area, and we’ll have people come over, talk, have a conversation," the trapper said. "Flashlights all night long, if you’re by the water which you normally are, you start a boat engine and let that run for a while, all night long."

The uncomfortable experience lasts a few hours and annoys the animal quite a bit because the goal is to re-program the crocodile’s behavior, so it doesn’t want to be there anymore.

"They leave on their own accord," said Guinto. 

A massive, illusive crocodile was captured and relocated after several sightings in various canals in Brevard County. 

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Here on the Space Coast, crocs that can’t leave on their own are becoming more common. It wasn't long ago that there was one hanging out in local canals.

"I’ve lived here over 10 years, and we’ve never experienced anything like this," said Cheri Marks who was concerned about the crocodile living in her backyard canal. 

The crocodile she was worried about was spotted sunbathing near Indian Harbour Beach homes back in September. In August, the crocodile was living in neighborhood canals near Satellite Beach and most recently in October, the nearly 10-foot croc was seen sunbathing, swimming, and chowing down on fish in South Patrick Shores before it was captured and relocated. 

Croc expert, Joe Wasilewski, says it's difficult to keep crocs from coming back to the same spot. 

"They have, I’m going to say, an internal GPS, where if they want to, they’re going to go right back to their home," said Joe Wasilewski who’s a conservation biologist in south Florida. 

Coincidentally, Guinto says he's seen success using GPS to track the conditioned crocs who he says stay away from where they aren't wanted.

A study conducted in Australia found that the method "may be effective in changing crocodile behavior and increasing wariness, but further work is required on the potential effects." 

The FWC had a different take on the method, saying in a statement sent to FOX 35, which read, "The FWC has tracked some crocodiles that were handled by Mr. Guinto. The movement data did not reflect any different behavior than other translocated crocodiles we tracked. This was not a formal study but rather observational data collection."

The agency also says, "It is important to note that it is illegal for a member of the public to handle or harass a crocodile without a permit from the FWC or USFWS [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]."

Guinto, who worked with FWC for over a decade, says he is not doing this method in Florida anymore. Instead, he says he visits countries around the world that are plagued by crocodile attacks.

He understands the method is a bit unorthodox.

"You’ll get critics that say, oh no – you’re stressing out the animal. It’s not safe. You’re going to kill the animal," he said. 

Guinto emphasizes he doesn't harm or attack the reptiles. He even runs an international non-profit on crocodile conservation and management techniques. 

"We want to help the people, but we’re also here to help the crocodiles, and we have to find a balance between the two," Guinto concluded.