The Queensland Government is conducting modelling to see what impact taking more large crocodiles out of the wild would have on the species.
However, the proposal has already been slammed by some critics who say it will result in a ‘silent cull’ and could actually put more people at risk of attack.
The Guardian reports that, since 1975, there have been 47 crocodile attacks in the state, causing 16 deaths. And the rate of non-fatal attacks has reportedly also been increasing.
Although crocodiles are listed as vulnerable in Queensland, the government routinely removes about 50 ‘problem crocodiles’ annually, mostly in response to public sightings.
The Guardian reports that an independent review of the management of crocodiles this year said those removals had likely seen a fall in the average size of crocodiles along the populated coast.
And the review, proposed an additional removal program of ‘a modest number’ of crocodiles 2.4 metres or longer – a move the government has backed in principle.
The Department of Environment and Science (DES) said genomic analysis and population modelling was under way to see how crocodiles might respond to more removals at different locations.
“DES would then use these findings to consult with First Nation peoples and key stakeholders, before any changes to current management practices were considered,” a statement said. “DES would not consider any changes that threatened the ongoing survival of the estuarine crocodile in the wild.”
However, the plan is not universally popular. The Guardian reports that almost 8,000 people have so far signed a petition against the proposal, calling it a ‘cull’. And the newspaper says some believe it could lull the public into a false sense of security, disrupt the animal’s social structures and cause populations to become unviable.
Prof Craig Franklin, of the University of Queensland, who runs one of the largest crocodile tracking studies in the world, said he thought the plan was ‘dangerous’.
“This will lead people into a false sense of security because they might think it’s now safe to swim in these waterways, but our research shows crocodiles can move 60 kilometres in a day,” he told the Guardian. “They move from river system to river system … they can sit under water for more than six hours and remain hidden.”
And he said that removing larger crocs – those most experienced at reproduction – could skew the population. Professor Franklin warned that crocodiles form stable social structures with dominant males maintaining territories and keeping the peace. Removing these larger animals, he said, could have unpredictable effects.
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I live up here and the only place you don’t find crocs is in your backyard pool,and then I look twice
Try living in Darwin
No, Leave the Big croc alone, they keep the young ones in line,,
Time to cull ! Waytoo many
The numbers of crocs is getting out of hand and there needs to be a general cull. Make the crocs scared of humans again. They currently don’t run when they see people these days.
I agree with this. The less crocs the better.
Prior to 1970 you could swim anywhere in the north without worrying about crocs
because of the culling that had taken place earlier.