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The croc has been around for much longer than humans. Crocs have lived through Ice Ages. They have seen the dinosaurs come and go. Yet in the last 50 years, crocs have almost been wiped out by human hunters and bulldozers!
Hunting was stopped 20 years ago but its not enough. Now the bulldozer is more of a threat than the bullet. We build on mangrove swamps and rivers. Crocs are being crowded out of their habitats. Should we remove crocs just because they get in our way? Should we shoot crocs because a few stupid people are attacked?
What nonsense! More people are killed by bee stings than by croc attacks! Crocs have every right to survive alongside us. What are we after all? A wimpy mammal with 2 legs that has been on earth for only a short time? Where is our conscience?
B. Green. Manunda.
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Cunning Killers
Spotlighting at night for crocs help
rangers to understand crocodile
numbers and distribution. |
Croc danger is getting out of hand. These killers threaten people in our creeks, rivers and now on our beaches. Our boat ramps are not the safe fishing spots we once knew. There's no doubt that crocs are a threat. They must be taken seriously. They are everywhere, just waiting for the right moment and a poor unsuspecting victim. There are more crocs this year because of the slack attitude of the government.
Their plan to trap and remove crocs to somewhere else is as primitive as these killing machines themselves. Get rid of the crocs when they are a threat to humans. Don't spend time and money trying to trap them. Put a bullet in them! Don't give the croc the chance to move on. It might grab a child at some other fishing hole. These creatures are cunning killers and should be treated as such.
B. Gunn, Cairns Post, 10.1.98.
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"Crocs should be hunted again. There are more crocs now than there were before. Its just like fishing. If you take out the big ones, the little ones have a chance to become big ones. Its good for crocs to be hunted. And its good for us too."
Crocodile hunter, Coen
"Crocs belong to this country. They're part of our dreaming. The croc is our brother, just like birds and fish and turtles. We've got to respect crocs, like we respect the sea and land, our mother. Killing a croc is against Aboriginal Law."
Aboriginal Elder, Far North Queensland
"Crocs nest on my cane farm. They've got as much right as me to be there. Sure they're dangerous if you get mixed up with them. But who's fault is that? They were here first. They don't bother me if I don't bother them!"
Sugar cane farmer, Gordonvale
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"Its changed now. Everybody knows there are more crocs around. You just know if you go camping you've got to camp on top of the creek bank. You don't camp on the edge of the creek like you used to. And you keep that fire going all night long."
Resident, Yarrabah Aboriginal Community.
"So they want to have a Croc Free Zone - impossible nonsense! It cannot be done. There's only been about 3 croc attacks in the last 50 years. And only then because crocs were attracted to jetties by fish scraps. We might as well ask for a car free zone. Cars kill more people than crocs do! Crocs should be left alone, not removed. We just have to learn to live with them!" |
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Conservationist, Townsville
"Its about time that the government realised that crocs and people just don't mix. They say only `problem crocs' will be removed. So what does a croc have to do before it becomes a problem - kill someone?"
Teacher, Weipa
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"Removing crocs from the river doesn't make it safe. Its much better to see a croc now and then. You only see the little ones but they warn you that bigger crocs might be around too. If you never see a croc, you forget to be careful."
Tour operator, Cooktown
"Crocs only take the stupid people so they do us a good turn in getting rid of them. There's no danger if you're careful about how you fish. Stay clear of the water and don't leave your rubbish around.
Fisherman, Bamaga
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QPWS ranger releases young croc with radio tracking device to find out more about them. |
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