Australia & New Zealand : Australia: Renewed all for crocodile hunt / cull in Australia
on 2009/11/16 2:26:54

DARWIN, AUSTRALIA // There are renewed calls for big game hunters to be allowed to curb the spread of deadly saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia after a series of fatal attacks and several near-misses.

Plans by the Northern Territory government to introduce safari-style expeditions were rejected last month by the federal environment minister, Peter Garrett, who said the proposals were “not a suitable approach for the responsible management of crocodiles”, but officials and tourism operators remain convinced that small-scale trophy hunting should be permitted in the interests of public safety.

Crocodiles have been protected since the 1970s, when they came close to extinction, but since then their numbers have risen sharply along with the threat to residents.

There have been two fatalities this year in the Northern Territory, which is estimated to have 80,000 saltwater crocodiles, the largest concentration in Australia, where rangers routinely relocate troublesome animals and their eggs from built-up areas and tourist spots.

In March, Briony Goodsell, 11, was dragged to her death while swimming with friends at a swamp near Darwin. The tragedy has reignited the debate about commercial hunting.

Holding a large three-metre crocodile that had been wrapped in plastic and placed in a freezer to preserve its valuable skin, Mick Denigan, a professional reptile catcher, said a cull was urgently needed.

Mr Denigan said he would not benefit commercially because he is busy enough already catching rogue crocodiles for his skinning and souvenir business.

Under strict official guidelines, Mr Denigan, a former government quarantine officer, is employed to remove problem crocodiles from private land in the Northern Territory, where rogue animals are stalked at night by boat, impaled with a harpoon and then shot in the head.

His quarry is then skinned, with its durable hide made into souvenir wallets, boots and belts.

“Some of them, when they are under three metres, are just like a big, playful puppy dog checking things out, but when they get a bit older they really start to smarten up and … if you’re in their water, you’re in trouble if one is looking at you. If you’re in a boat you are safe, but if you’re in their domain in the water you don’t have much chance. They’ll just grab you like a gecko eats a moth. Not many people escape,” Mr Denigan warned.

Beneath the seemingly benign expanses of the Adelaide River, south of Darwin, a largely unseen army of saltwater crocodiles prowls the murky brown water.

Occasionally a pair of furtive-looking eyes will emerge from the depths, while telltale slide marks have been carved from the banks by the weight of the world’s largest reptiles.

This is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most dangerous places but one that retains an endless fascination for holidaymakers.

With the temperature nudging 38°C, visitors board the Adelaide River Queen on a feeding expedition, where lumps of raw meat are dangled on a line, a treat few crocodiles can resist.

Propelled by powerful tails, they launch out of the water and snap their jaws around their prize to squeals of astonishment and delight from tourists who watch from the safety of the boat’s cabin, but who nevertheless have come within a few feet of an animal that could kill them in an instant.

“In a heartbeat they can take you and you wouldn’t even know what got you,” said Simone Johnson, the skipper, who supports a limited cull of smaller crocodiles.

“Something really will have to be done because more people are going to find themselves in trouble with crocodiles if we don’t regulate their numbers … You don’t have to come hundreds of kilometres into the wilds of Australia to see them. They are right there on our doorstep.”

Conservationists worry, however, that the Northern Territory will continue to push for federal permission to allow trophy hunters to target these prehistoric beasts.

“We do expect to have to continue to fight this and … internationally people don’t want to see Australia hunt its native animals,” said Alexia Wellbelove from the Humane Society International.

“As far as numbers are concerned, I think there is a natural limit within all wildlife populations based on the amount of food available, and we’d like to leave wildlife to look after itself rather than trying to control it artificially through safari hunting.”