Crocodile tagging in Kakadu

not easy managing a top predator, especially when it is a protected species.

In Australia the natural range for saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) stretches from Rockhampton in the East, across the top end to as far as King Sound (near Broome) in the West.

By the 1970’s, the natural Australian crocodile population had collapsed by as much as 95%, largely because of uncontrolled hunting for their highly valuable skins. Because of this collapse the species was given full protection in all the Australian states and territories where it is found. Saltwater crocodile numbers began to recover.

One consequence of this recovery was that crocodiles began to re-appear in places where humans had forgotten to expect them and take due care. It also became apparent that there had been a loss of skills in the safe ways to handle crocodiles.

In 1993 ABC-TV’s "A Question of Survival" program covered the efforts of rangers at Kakadu National Park to re-build the skills necessary to handle such large predators safely and also to better understand the behaviour of the animals and particularly the interactions between large crocs and the smaller, younger ones.

As the film crew found, handling crocodiles is dangerous even for professionals!

2015 Update

Since this story was made, Australia’s crocodile population has continued to recover, and the knowledge and skills to manage and safely handle these powerful creatures are now mature. However despite a great deal of public education about the dangers of these these powerful animals, in Australia there is still an average of 4.5 crocodile attacks on humans each year.

Many of these attacks could be avoided if people were more mindful of the capabilities of these predators.

(c) Australian Broadcasting Corporation
http://abc.net.au/science