Academy Award-winning animatronics expert John Cox checks the teeth of thw crocodile head at his new display "Monsters" that shows how cinematic creatures are made from storyboard to full size specimens, at the St. Louis Science Center in St. Louis on May 7, 2008. The crocodile head was used in the movie "Peter Pan." (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt) | License Photo
"There weren't any crocs around when I was a kid," Reckwerdt said.
However, he said recent crocodile attacks on people and pets in the Key Largo area have made him fear for the safety of pets and children. He said he no longer allows his young children to swim in the canal.
"What's it going to do to our tourism economy when another pet is killed or, God forbid, something else?" Reckwerdt said.
The mayor said he is hoping a solution can be found that doesn't involve killing the crocodiles but he will not rule out euthanizing the animals.
"At what point do we do something about this?" Reckwerdt asked. "You look at areas where they're plentiful -- Australia, the Nile -- they eat people."
