Plan to move out ‘problem crocs’

Large crocodiles capable of killing people will be removed from waterways along the populated Queensland east coast under a policy change trial being introduced by the government.

A crocodile laying on the banks of the Daintree River. Picture: Tourism & Events Queensland

Large crocodiles capable of killing people will be removed from waterways along the populated Queensland east coast under a controversial policy change trial being introduced by the government.

It has raised concerns that younger, more aggressive and secretive crocodiles will take the place of more prominent dominant crocodiles.

While crocodile numbers have rebounded in Queensland since the 1970s when they were hunted to near extinction, many studies have rejected anecdotal accounts of ballooning populations and show crocodile numbers are growing by 1 to 2 per cent a year.

But Queensland chief scientist Hugh Possingham said balancing public safety and crocodile conservation was a delicate task and a committee he led had recommended the government remove crocodiles longer than 2.4m from populated areas south of ­Cooktown.

“This is just to keep the numbers of very big crocodiles near people (down) … in the heavily populated areas around Cairns and Townsville,” Professor Possingham said. “This is because they are the ones that are likely to kill people.”

The recommendation from the independent review committee is a departure from previous policy, which was that only those deemed “problem crocodiles”, after displaying threatening ­behaviour, were to be removed.

The environment department is yet to enact the policy change and is conducting ­genomic work and population modelling to better understand how the population may ­respond to removing large crocodiles from the wild.

“This is a people and a crocodile issue,” Professor Possingham said. “The population of that region is growing. We want to make sure that those attack numbers don’t go up.”

It is believed about 20 per cent of Queensland’s crocodile population of 20,000 to 30,000 lives south of Cooktown.

Since January 2020 “problem” crocodiles have been ­removed from the wild.

David White, who operates the Solar Whisper sightseeing tour on the Daintree River, north of Cairns, said he was concerned by the impact the committee’s “vague” recommendation could have on crocodile numbers and public attitudes.

“There are studies that are around that say, and it’s my ­experience on the river, that if you take the big one out of the river then the younger ones can fill that void,” Mr White said.

“The big ones are like peacekeepers, and the younger ones can be angry little teenagers, and they’re really secretive whereas the big one cruises around ­because he’s the boss.

“Everyone sees him and stays away from the water because they know he’s there.

“Take him away and the public thinks, ‘problem’s fixed’.

“No matter how many you take away, there’s always going to be another one coming along from somewhere else.”

The Department of Environment and Science would not say how many crocodiles had been given to zoos and crocodile farms as breeding stock or how many had been killed, saying only that a “small number” were euthanised because of their remote ­locations.