Sports Unlimited goes wild in Davao! Crocodiles, tigers, orangutan, crocodiles and more crocodiles. Plus! the park latest attraction… the animal show!

There are times on the show when we have special and rare experiences! This visit to the crocodile farm was one of those times. Seeing a crocodile up close; for many of us city dwellers is a rare experience in itself, but this particular day at the crocodile park, we got an even rarer experience. We got to see how an actual baby crocodile comes into the world, and the experience did not stop there. The staff at the crocodile park even let me deliver one myself.

When you first see this cute-as-anything, baby crocodile, you are so in awe, that your first instinct is to pet it like you would a puppy, cute as a puppy, but definitely not a puppy. Ouch! After that quick snap at my finger, reality set in. Cute, yes, but this cutie-pie reptile still has the genes of his crocodile mom that has the reputation of being one of the most ferocious creatures in the planet.

Alright, in a nutshell, or should I say in an eggshell, sorry, just could not help but say that, here's basically what happens before and after this point. Mommy crocodile lays her eggs. Eggs then go into an incubator for approximately 87 days. After which, the eggs are matured enough to hatch.

That's what you just saw happen. After hatching, its back to the incubator for another 3 days, and after that, the infant crocodiles are put in a container and transferred to the nursery here at the park where the staff will act as surrogate parents for at least 8 months to a year. After a year, they are released to the cages to join the rest of the roster of crocodile stars featured here at the crocodile park.

My son Mathew's face describes this moment precisely. When you get to see mommy Dyan open an egg and out comes a baby crocodile, it's one of those phenomenal experiences where you can't really do anything but look, absorb and realize what a rare privilege this has been.

Part of the big attraction at the crocodile park is the time of day when the caretakers feed the crocodiles. Sixty very hungry 3-to-4 year-old crocs, all being fed at the same time causes a feeding frenzy and is definitely a crowd drawer. What's for dinner? Chicken! Lots of it.

For protection, the caretakers are wearing boots. Why boots? Well, because when these famished crocodiles see the piece of chicken, you can bet that they will pounce on it with no hesitation, and with no regard what gets in the way. All they care about is getting that chicken in their mouths, and if your foot happens to be anywhere near that piece of chicken, there's a big chance a piece of that foot may get struck by those teeth that are designed to clamp up and chow down food fast. Hence, the boots.

You all know that my partner Marc is from croc country, Australia, so he seems to feel some kind of connection between him and crocodiles. They really are a sight to see, but just a word of caution. They may be beautiful, but they are ferocious creatures, and to make things worst Marc, they are very hungry right now. So you may want to loosen that connection a bit at this point and step back mate.

In another part of the park, he crocodiles get fed in another way. Just for show though, a pig's limb is attached to a rope that is dropped down from a bridge that is above the croc pit. These crocodiles for the sake of showmanship have to work a little harder for their food. They need to show off their agility before they can taste their treat. Check out how high these crocodiles can lift themselves above the water when a nice big piece of "lechon leg” is on the line. This dolphin-like move is achieved by these crocodiles by the power of their tails which they use to propel them out of the water.

After seeing this "dance act”, here's another word of caution, don't feel too safe just because you are situated above the water where crocodiles are. As you just saw, they can jump up a ways, and snag anything they see hanging.

The croc you are seeing right now is “Pangil”. He was named "Pangil" for obvious reasons. For the sake of our English-only viewers, "pangil" means fangs, like that of "Dracula." You make the connection.

"Pangil" is the king croc over here at the park. He is the biggest at about 18 feet long, and probably the wisest, being 70 years old. F-Y-I, crocodiles can live past a hundred years old.

It almost seems like "Pangil" knows he is being watched and surrounded by a crowd; he is performing and entertaining them by giving them a bit of a splash with his tail. "Pangil the Performer”. By the way, it's a known fact that crocodiles are very smart creatures. They know exactly what's going on.

Nope, that's no camera trick. Marc is actually inside Pangil's cage. Brave boy. Don't get too comfortable though Marc, and whatever you do, and this goes to all of you watching as well, if you happen to be in "the company" of crocs, never turn your back at them. You want to be able to see what they are doing at all times. Believe me, we've seen it. They can come at you like a thief in the night.

After the crocodiles, we were introduced to the newest resident here at the park, "Sheba" An eight-month-old Bengal tiger. What a treat for us to be this close to such an exotic and gorgeous animal. Sheba has now become too big for her original cage, so today we get to see her move to her new home. Are you making mean faces at the camera Sheba? Oh, OK, we get the message. She's giving us a little celebrity attitude, probably saying, I'm still too young for all this paparazzi.

Sheba needed to be transferred to a bigger cage because she will get a lot larger than she is now. We're proud to say that Sheba was born in the Philippines. She is an island- born tiger to be precise, an island girl. You know what that means, with that exotic island look; she will no doubt be a head-turner here at the park.

Welcome to the newest attraction of the Crocodile Park here in Davao. The Amazing Wild Life Encounter Show. Look at this wild deer. Now, I normally picture a wild deer to be grey in color, but this dashing deer has a beautiful, silky, dark chocolate brown color. Who knows, maybe brown is the “new grey" in deer country. Oh wow! Take a look at this gigantic, green iguana. Let's go back to the topic of color. Green is in we hear, and this Iguana is showing its green skin in a big way. Full grown iguanas usually grow between 4 to 6 feet. The iguana's skin is rough, with a set of pointy scales along the Iguana's back. Green iguanas have fingers and claws to help them climb and grasp. I know a few people who have mentioned to me that they have pet iguanas, but this green iguana may be just a little too big to be a house pet, don't you think?

No animal gets a bigger sigh of fear and a big step back from the audience than a python snake. Well, they are one of the 6 biggest snakes in the world! But who says you can't teach old pythons new tricks? Check this out. Now you see the balloon, now you don't. Amazing!

Now this is an animal that you really don't see often, that's why when we first saw it, we couldn't really figure out what it was. A big raccoon! A big scruffy cat! A small black bear maybe? It's actually a Palawan bear cat. They are one of the biggest land mammals in mainland Palawan. Careful now, although it looks charming and has a cuddly appearance, natives warn that bear cats are quite vicious when cornered.

Oh my goodness! And we thought the python we saw earlier was huge! This Burmese python is enormous! Burmese pythons are one of the largest of all snakes in the world. Thank goodness. If you see a snake any bigger than this, it would be "pass out city”.

Here's an interesting fact though, pythons do not kill their prey with poisonous venom. They trap, and then wrap around their prey till they squeeze them to death. At 25 feet long and 400 pounds, squeezing your prey would be a piece of cake. Who needs the venom, huh?

Now this adorable tiger partly belongs to the family of Sheba. This tiger is also part-Bengal and part-Siberian, the magic of cross-breeding. We were told that this tiger is a little bit friendlier then Queen Sheba. What a trip, being able to pet a wild animal like this. Oops! What happened Matt? The tiger snapped at you? No, he did not son. He was just giving you a "high-five!" because he's a "cool cat”.

Finally, we personally met the animal that usually always steals the show. Meet "Carlo” the orangutan. Marc was so enamored by "Carlo"; he even gave him a piggy-back ride. Now that's a priceless picture. A good-looking hunk model with "Carlo the cute Orangutan”

Carlo was so cute I could not resist but give him a ride on my back as well, and obviously, there was also something about me that Carlo could not resist. My hair… Is it my hair, or the smell of my hair? Maybe he is dropping a hint that he wants a change of shampoo?

Orangutans are species of apes known for their intelligence, a cute face, and a brain to booth. Carlo's got it all. He's just incredibly irresistible.

This inter-active wild encounter animal show is a must see for all ages. If you are in Davao, we highly recommend that you put the crocodile park on the top of your sightseeing list. If Davao is not in your immediate travel plans, here's some good news. Sonny Dizon, the park's owner tells us that there is a big possibility that the show will come to Manila sometime during the holiday season. So keep your eyes peeled to find out where... and when exactly you'll be able to see this terrific show. It definitely gets a standing ovation from Sports Unlimited!