Mareeba deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt’s push for farmers’ croc shooting rights

A Far North Queensland deputy mayor wants to give farmers and landholders the authority to shoot crocodiles on their property. This is her “commonsense” argument.

Far North deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt believes farmers and landholders should be given the right to kill saltwater crocodiles on their property but only after satisfying a strict criteria.

A Far North deputy mayor believes farmers and landholders should be given the right to kill saltwater crocodiles on their property — but only after satisfying a strict criteria.

Mareeba Shire Council deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt pitched her proposal to allow licensed weapons holders to shoot the apex predators under department authority, while speaking at the Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill hearing.

The proposal has earned an in-principle backing from Cook MP David Kempton.

Ms Wyatt said her proposal was landholders with weapons licences would only be given the right to shoot a feral saltwater crocodile on their property once wildlife rangers had themselves marked the animal for removal and made their own attempts first.

A saltwater crocodile in captivity by wildlife rangers. Mareeba deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt wants farmers to have the right to shoot the animals if rangers can’t locate them on their properties.

Her goal was to eliminate delays in call-out times to remote and rural properties with long-spanning waterways.

“Rangers might come out and have a look but by the time they get there, the croc has moved and it takes them a long time to get to some of these properties,” she said.

“But the farmer is always there, they know their land.

“You would have some red tape (and processes) attached to it, we don’t want people going around shooting any croc.”

MSC's deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt doesn’t want farmers shooting any crocodile and says her proposal would come with some redtape. PIC: Supplied

Parts of Two Mile Creek and Four Mile Creek at Biboohra, north of Mareeba are zoned F under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan, meaning any crocodile confirmed to be present is targeted for removal from the wild, regardless of its size or behaviour.

The inland community’s waterways servicing agricultural properties were given Zone F status because saltwater crocodiles were not native those areas, but rather considered a feral population, and were now being sighted on various farms.

Ms Wyatt’s proposal came as rangers last week shot an elusive crocodile on a Pickford Rd, Biboohra farm after a six month-investigation which reportedly included 17 site visits by authorities.

“And they’re doing the best they can with the resources they have.”

Parts of the Mareeba shire have a feral population of saltwater crocodiles. Picture: Caitlin Vine/ The Australian Reptile Park

Ms Wyatt said how the feral population came to existence was still subject to speculation; the leading theory being the animals escaped from a farm enclosure on the Two Mile Creek tributary.

She said a 2019 survey identified 23 crocodiles in the unnatural area and estimated the total population to be about 43.

“Since then, I think they’ve removed about five or six, but my concern is breeding – how many more could there be?” Ms Wyatt said.

“So if the department can only come when one is reported, how long will it take to remove them all, that’s why I want to have this conversation about farmers’ rights.”

Cook MP David Kempton said he would “push for landholders to be able to apply for a licence to remove crocodiles from private water storage areas where they pose a threat to landholders”.

“The people of the Mareeba and district have enjoyed access to the creeks, rivers and dams for generations and whilst there is no guarantee all crocodiles can be removed, positive action will reduce the risk.”

Originally published as Mareeba deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt’s push for farmers’ croc shooting rights