Andrew all revved up as he carves wooden crocodile from fallen tree

Andrew all revved up as he carves wooden crocodile from fallen tree

11 October 2023

A BALLYNAHINCH man has showcased his artistic talent by carving a crocodile with chainsaw precision. 

Andrew Napier transformed a tree blown down during the recent Storm Agnes into a work of art.

Having noticed the tree, Andrew instinctively modelled the trunk into a life-sized crocodile.

“I saw it lying on my farm, and for whatever reason I started googling animal carvings – I saw a few crocodile models and thought the trunk would be perfect for it,” said Andrew, who runs Hazeldane Farm equestrian centre.

“I have always been interested in art, doodling wee drawings here and there, but it’s never something I’ve considered doing long-term – I might end up doing more carvings like this.”

A video on social media shows Andrew carefully applying scales and facial features to the model.

Carving it in one sitting, Andrew said: “It took me about five hours, maybe more.

“The tree that fell was 30 to 40 feet, and the model ended up being nearly 12 foot long.

“I was really nervous carving it because I didn’t want to make any slight mistakes that would ruin the entire piece. I thought I’d messed it up more than once, but thankfully I was able to fix the minor mistakes and it turned out great.

“I’ve always used a chainsaw, but I’ve never really done anything like this before.”

Andrew is using the carved croc as an obstacle for the young riders who will be taking part in a competition at Hazeldane Farm this Sunday.

“We are going to use it in the league series as the final obstacle,”he explained. “I hope that the crocodile adds a bit more excitement for the kids.”

“A man from Dublin reached out on Facebook about potentially using it for an event down South, so it’s very exciting but it has all come as a surprise,” he added.

Horses are very important to Andrew and his family. His wife Laura’s family own Tullymurry Equestrian Centre near Downpatrick.

Asked about his family’s reaction to the sculpture, Andrew said: “They were surprised, but they also thought it came out really well.”

“It’s something I am very pleased with, it was very spontaneous and the fact it will feature at an event that we are hosting is something to be proud of.

“Who knows, I may end up doing more carvings in the future.”