Pollensa resident to start crocodile tours

POLLENSA home owners Janine and Sheldon Haseltine, who also spend the winter months in Costa Rica, are starting a Crocodile Tour there with a 40 year old Alvis Stalwart Amphibious vehicle built for NATO during the cold war. The 38-seat vehicle is, it seems the only one of its kind in Costa Rica and used to be an integral part of NATO's front line strategy.
It was built for operations in the European theatre during the height of the Cold War, Haseltine said.
MOTHER
He explained that when registering the vehicle in Costa Rica, he had to give it a name, so he chose Madre Cocodrilo, the Mother of all crocodiles.
The tour will run tourists down the Rio Tarcoles, which is known for its crocodiles and Haseltine was inspired by a tour he took along the river when planning his project. He explained how the tour guide gets out of the vehicle and causes the crocodile to jump. Although he gets very close to the large crocodile, he is not harmed. The tourists, however, seldom show any inclination to leave the safety of the vehicle.