The Australian
October 02, 2008

October 02, 2008
CALLS for a crocodile cull in far north Queensland after a suspected fatal attack earlier this week are ill-advised, an expert says.

Police and State Emergency Service volunteers are searching for 62-year-old holidaymaker Arthur Booker, who is believed to have fallen victim to a crocodile attack on the Endeavour River near Cooktown on Tuesday.

The incident has prompted north Queensland MP Bob Katter to call for a crocodile culling program in Cape York.

However, Australia Zoo senior wildlife ranger Barry Lyon said a crocodile cull would achieve nothing.

"It's just not going to work, the thing with crocodiles is that you can never guarantee that you've hunted them all out," Mr Lyon said.

"There's always going to be some survivors and some moving in from other areas to take their place."

Mr Lyon said crocodiles, because of their place at the top of the food chain, were an essential part of river and lagoon eco systems in the north.

He said extensive hunting of the large reptiles following World War II had a massive impact on river systems in the area.

"The eco systems were so out of balance that catfish were hugely abundant, we'd go fishing and you might catch 20 cat fish for one barra," Mr Lyon said.

"Since then the crocodiles have recovered and now you hardly ever catch a catfish - that's a good example of how they keep the whole system healthy."

He said the presumed attack on Mr Booker was a "terrible tragedy", and it was up to the Environmental Protection Agency to decide whether to trap or kill the crocodile believed to be responsible.

Crocodiles were a part of life in the north, and people who chose to camp or fish in croc infested waters needed to be on guard, Mr Lyon said.

"Stay out of the water, camp well away from the water, go fishing in a good sturdy high sided boat," he said.

He also warned campers against throwing food scraps or fish carcasses into the river.

"That attracts crocs, that's like fast food for them, and it puts people in a very dangerous situation."

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Since the 1970s when croc hunting was outlawed..these killers have grown to plague proportions.
Much the same as white pointers in SA waters..


Attacks arent isolated anymore and there definitely needs to be a cull.

I cant get warm and fuzzy over a croc or a shark [or a spider bbrrr]..Im sorry... they are cold blooded killers with no soul.

Crocs already are a valuable industry FD - they are farmed. They are removed from heavily populated areas such as Darwin Harbour by trapping. As to more remote locations why not leave them be? The safety aspect is a rather weak excuse to cull them.

freediver wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2008 at 5:40pm:


So should we cull Great White Sharks FD (at the moment they are totally protected for conservation reasons) ? They still eat people quite regularly.

I hardly think that farming crocs is more trouble than a wild harvest. You have the crocs close to your infrastrucure for harvesting and distribution. As they are bred in captivity there is little in the way of sustainability issues.

So should we cull Great White Sharks FD (at the moment they are totally protected for conservation reasons) ?

I doubt there is a commerical market for them in the same way there is for crocs, or that they have recovered as much. Remember, the primary reason for it is to harvest the resource, not to protect people.

They still eat people quite regularly.

How 'regularly'?

I hardly think that farming crocs is more trouble than a wild harvest. You have the crocs close to your infrastrucure for harvesting and distribution. As they are bred in captivity there is little in the way of sustainability issues.

Perhaps you should let the market decide that. After all we are not communists.

We've said for years that we have too many koalas and we need a cull - now they're endangered.

Can you back that up mantra?

Can you really compare the two FD?  It might be a little different spearfishing and wrestling a large crododile underwater compared to wrestling a harmless little groper or a turtle.

Turtle? Groper?

I am not suggesting people spear them mantra.

Yes sure let the hunters have a go - and if they lose a few limbs in the process - tough luck.

Fine by me.

mantra wrote on Oct 3^rd, 2008 at 9:00am:

A spear on a croc would not be effective they would need to be shot /trapped..if a prof shooter misses one occasionally (a fatal hit I mean) Thats par for the course and well -sh*t happens-unfortunatley.

I think we as a society have it a bit out of kilter when we allow killers to flourish at he expense of the safety of pple..we are entitled to protect ourselves ( like any other creature in the wild does) if we are threatened by menace. We cant holiday on land ( crocs) and we cant go for a dip/spot of fishing(Pointers)..sanity needs to prevail.

I have been camping on the Roper River for Barra etc (Nt)a croc infested river..we were fearful that crocs would take us from our tents ( it happens- and they dont knock either )- my then partner not long after went croc hunting expedtion alone and slept in the branches of trees for safety sake..(he penned romantic letters from that altitude -inspiration? : =)

White pointers out in these waters are now taking swimmers and fisherman too "regulary" for my liking ( a boat was swamped by a huge wave whilst fishermen were shark fishing -for gummies not pointers- its believed they may have been taken by sharks - only the skipper was found and survived- the 2 young deckies? never found)..the protection of Parks and Wildlife has seen them now grow to dangerous numbers...and they are HUNGRY.

Fisherman now fish with great unease at the size of these monsters..seeing them several times a week circling their boats.
They are the size of my medium sized wagon ( thats big)

Koalas and killer sharks/crocs

.How is there a correlation?

The Koalas were only being used as an example as many people are under the misapprehension they exist in abundance - same as crocs.

If you go on the principle that all threatening animals to humans should be killed - we may as well wipe out almost every animal on this planet.

You hunters have got your own peculiar mindset and a bloodlust that many do not understand.

Obviously camping near croc infested waters is encroaching on their territory - but then again why should the threat of an attack interfere with the recreation of humans who might want a swim.

Go grab your guns and get 'em.  You could even have them stuffed and mounted on your walls - great conversation piece.

Quote:


That was in response to Oceans post. 

FD - do you only ever hunt specifically for food?