23 Oct 2014
Australia’s croc crisis: High number of deaths means popular tourist attraction faces cull
BY Tom Anstey
Australia’s crocodiles – a driver of tourism in the north of the country – have become a serious problem with an “infestation” of the once endangered species now posing a threat to locals and tourists alike.
A notable spot for popular ‘Crocodile Jumping Tours’ – in which boats will hang pieces of meat on the end of a pole to encourage the animals to jump out of the water – is Adelaide River, around 60km (37m) south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. The tours have come up against criticism because they make crocodiles associate people with food.
The river has gained a bad reputation after an unusually high number of crocodile attacks, with the most recent incident taking place in August when a fisherman was killed after wading into the water in what was the third fatal crocodile attack of 2014 – compared to usual numbers of one or two deaths every couple of years.
After becoming close to extinct in the 1970s, crocodiles were placed under protection by the Australian government. Since then, numbers have soared from 3,000 to around 100,000 and the Northern Territory Government is actively looking into a widespread crocodile cull to help reduce the risk of attacks.
"Even if you tried to wipe every croc out, I don't think you'd succeed," said researcher Adam Britton speaking to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle. "So unless you do that, there is still going to be a risk of someone getting attacked by a crocodile. If there are 5,000 crocodiles in the Adelaide River, it's not safe if you remove 4,000 of those crocodiles."
Presently, rangers bait cages with meat in Darwin and the wider area, capturing 226 crocs in 2013 and 222 in the first nine months of 2014, with six being caught in Darwin harbour. Those were then sold to overseas zoos and reptile parks or sent to crocodile farms.
Local authorities in Darwin state even if water is deemed safe, "it must be assumed that any body of water may contain large and potentially dangerous crocodiles. When in the vicinity of crocodiles, don't swim and stay at least 5m (16ft) back from the water.”
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