2008 Australian zoo killings

On October 1, 2008, a seven year old boy went on a killing rampage attacking animals in a zoo at the Alice Springs Reptile Centre in Australia, which has the largest collection of reptiles in the Northern Territory. The boy, whose name was not released, was accused of breaking into the zoo while it was closed. He was captured on surveillance video.

13 animals were killed, including a 20 year old 5'9" (1.8 m) goana, turtle, bearded dragons, and thorny devils. Some of the animals were bludgeoned with a rock, and thrown over the fence to feed Terry, a crocodile.

The attacks lasted 30 minutes. The boy refused to cooperate during interrogation after he was caught by the police. He was able to break in without tripping the alarm system, and was reported to be expressionless during the rampage.

The attack was widely reported in the press, in a number of countries including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Italy, and other countries. Under Northern Territory laws, the 7 year old boy is too young to be charged with a crime, but the zoo director indicated that his parents would be sued. The animal species lost are said to be difficult to replace.

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