‘If you own a giant death lizard you need to be responsible’: Hayes talks yeas, nays of owning a pet croc

Croc photographer Tommy Hayes says owning a pet croc wasn’t about “kissing them and watching Gilmore Girls”. Find out what he said.

Croc photographer Tommy Hayes, aka Crocodile_Beers, is looking forward to owning a pet croc of his own. Picture: Crocodile_Beers

Pleased punters celebrated with an early Christmas gift when the NT government announced the official return of crocodile pet permits.

The CLP made the election promise to explore the possibility of the pet permits returning after they were quietly but controversially scrapped as part of the former Labor government’s crocodile management plan in April 2024.

Croc photographer Tommy Hayes was just one of many excited about the news, especially because he moved from Queensland to the NT to call a scaly pet his own.

Mr Hayes advocated heavily for the return of permits, starting a petition in September 2024, and said he, along with fellow advocate Roger Matthews, did so not for the benefit of owning a pet croc, but for returning some Territory freedoms other Aussies would never get to experience.

Crocodile hatchlings like these can soon be household pets in the Northern Territory. Picture: Crocodile_Beers

“There is a tiny bit of a selfish aspect to it because obviously I want a pet crocodile, but I want everyone else to be able to do it as well,” Mr Hayes said.

“Forget the crocodile part, forget that word, this is [Territorians] being given back a little bit.

“It’s the same sort of thing with boat licences, it’s just another freedom and come on, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“And it wasn’t broken.”

Mr Hayes said having a pet crocodile wasn’t about “kissing them and watching Gilmore Girls when you’re heartbroken”, but about having a passion for the animal, and with that came croc-wise education.

“It’s about that personal responsibility,” he said.

“If you own a giant death lizard you need to be responsible.

“It is going to, for the most part, breed a bit more croc-wise into people because you’ve got to be around your pet, they don’t really change from the wild to being in a pen.

“Some people will argue that [they can train crocs] but it’s an ambush predator that’s got a couple of years under their belt of evolution.

Big crocs too could live out their retirement years as pets under revived pet permit policies by the CLP. Picture: Crocodile_Beers

“That’s not going to disappear because you wear a red hat and bounce and meat on a circus ball.”

Mr Hayes said already his two-and-a-half-year-old son was more croc-wise than many Territorians, and having a pet croc could only grow his understanding.

“I think having access to crocs as pets, it does help that because I want to get a couple of small ones, and get a hatchling for my son so I can teach him how to handle them and things like that,” he said.

Despite mostly positive support for the swift return of permits, some punters took to Facebook to share their opposing thoughts.

One man said “you mob have lost the plot”, while another woman said “is it April fools day already”.

The official date for when Territorians can get their own pet croc again is still unknown as the policy must go through official channels and be approved by the Administrator.

Originally published as ‘If you own a giant death lizard you need to be responsible’: Hayes talks yeas, nays of owning a pet croc