Interview.
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A life full of incredible
adventures – and reptiles.
Peter with an Oenpellie Python at the
Australian Reptile Park. All images
courtesy Peter Krauss.
For those readers perhaps unfamiliar with some of
Peter’s exploits, prepare to be amazed! The first time we
catch up with him by phone, he has just been asked to
complete a survey about his attitudes to flying foxes by
the University of Montana. Peter is a little fired up, and
has some strong opinions on the matter:
Peter Krauss: You can’t blame the flying foxes for the
fact that we are surrounded by mango and Lychee farms;
it’s easy pickings. Sometimes when they are around the
sky is almost turned black. I like watching them and have
no problem with them, but the general public become
hysterical because of the bat virus, and where the flying
foxes camp they make noise and defecate. People also
complain about the smell, but to me it’s quite nice and
fruity (not many would agree with that). Down in Cairns
there is a big camp in the middle of town. My opinion
about that is that tourists don’t have to go far to witness a
natural phenomenon. The trouble this year was that many
of the flying foxes perished in the extreme heat and fell
out of their roosting trees.
iHerp Australia: It’s a complex issue, isn’t it?
PK: Yes. On a similar note, we had a farmer down the
road who probably saw a small Freshwater Crocodile
when he went to turn on his water pump, but the media
reports said he was attacked by a huge croc! Then Bob
Katter organises a meeting where people got together to
pressure the government to cull crocs. It’s the politicians
influencing the media, who play on people’s emotional
side. Flying foxes have to be here; they play a very
important part in the environment.
iH: You were born in Germany, right? Were you always
interested in animals?