The policy in many areas of trapping and removing large saltwater crocodiles may be giving grey nomads and other travellers a false sense of security.
According to a report in the Australian newspaper, new research has shown large crocodiles are far more mobile than previously thought, with some travelling over 1000km in a six-month period.
One of the report’s authors, Hamish Campbell from the University of Queensland, says the new study raises doubts about whether “zero-tolerance” zones, where crocodiles are trapped and removed, are effective.
“Creating zero tolerance zones you are just going to get increasing numbers of animals,” Dr Campbell told the Australian. “I wonder about how much of it is to appease the public rather than, as a biologist, it actually does anything,” he said.
It seems that even crocodiles that were thought to have lived in a distinct location actually moved large distances, although they tended to move back and forth in the same area.
Dr Campbell told the newspaper that crocodiles moved so far so quickly that trapping a large dominant male crocodile and taking it away could just leave a gap for a more troublesome crocodile to move into.
“I think of the quote, it is better the devil you know,” he said.
The study involved monitoring the movements of 12 large crocodiles.
