AFP
From endangered to Australia’s crocodile ‘paradise’
If you want a quick death, one expert recommends jumping into a river near Darwin, Australia; In a few minutes, you will find yourself in the jaws of one of the hundreds of crocodiles wandering in the murky waters of this city. Here’s the promise. “You can’t sugar-coat crocodiles; they’re seriously dangerous,” Grahame Webb, whose conservation efforts are thought to have helped bring Australia’s saltwater predators back from the brink of extinction, told AFP in his lush garden in the country’s tropical Top End. He said frank messages about dangers around waterways in Australia’s north were vital to rebuilding the scaly reptile population once decimated by uncontrolled hunting. Before government protection in the 1970s, an estimated 98 percent of the wild saltwater crocodile population disappeared in the Northern Territory due to demand for skins and culling. Now, according to government figures, more than 100,000 “salt fish” exceeding six meters in length and weighing more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) are being hunted in coastal, rivers and wetlands in the northernmost part of the continent. – ‘Eating people’ – Webb said: “This is exciting “It was a success story,” he said. But protecting animals was only a first step.”To protect predators, they need to rebuild their populations; if you’re successful in doing that, they’ll start eating people again and everyone will want to get rid of them.” By the 1980s, the situation was clear, said Charlie Manolis, a crocodile expert with the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The community needed to see the true value of these creatures in order to tolerate them as neighbors. A public safety campaign and regular relocation of toothy predators from densely populated areas, known locally as Crocwise, have helped them sometimes coexist more peacefully with their prey. Wild egg harvesting is part of a “farming” program in the Northern Territory that links the leather industry and livelihoods directly to animals, according to colleagues Webb and Manolis. Under the programme, landowners — many of whom are Indigenous Australians — can receive payment for wild eggs collected from their property, which can then be supplied to farms. The lucrative skin trade relies on farms stocked primarily with eggs and wild-collected animals, with 70,000 eggs and 1,400 crocodiles allowed each year. “There are many people employed through crocodiles.” Webb said, drawing attention to both the tourism and farming sectors. – ‘Cattle eater’ -The crocodile farming industry is estimated to be worth over A$100 million (US$66 million) a year to the Territory, Australia’s largest leather producer. The resulting leather is highly appreciated by luxury brands such as Hermes and Louis Vuitton. Although some people criticize the management strategy of “using” animals and removing them from the wild, a connection to an industry helps preserve the species, Manolis said. “This is not about farming per se. Farming is something we do to ensure the conservation of the wild population,” he said. “I was a miner, then I was a mother, now I’m a crocodile keeper,” Jess Grills, 32, told AFP with a smile as she maneuvered a boat across an artificial river at Crocodylus Park, near Darwin. Founded by Webb, the park is a tourist attraction and a “paradise” for “problem alligators”; “You can’t train a crocodile, but you can put them somewhere where they won’t cause trouble,” he said, animals that have been removed from the wild because they pose a danger to local people or create a soft spot for gnawing on livestock. while lifting it to the pole. Once the famous “cattle eater”, Prince’s dark green nose slowly rose to the surface, followed by his glowing reptilian eyes. The creature threw its massive body upwards, its jaws fully extended, and then clamped its jaws together. its teeth sink deep into the flesh and it splashes back into the water. The message for viewers is clear: Be careful where these giants hunt and live. – ‘A million-year fear’ -“Always a one “As the population accelerates and larger crocodiles become more common, attacks, although rare, will likely increase,” Grills said. Manolis said conservation ” “Let’s face it, WWF (Wildlife Conservation Foundation) does not have a picture of a crocodile on it,” he said. He has a panda. “For barbecues, the chance to admire predators up close helps them gain support for rescuing the animal.”If you respect them and their territory, I don’t think they’ll be that scary.”al/djw/smw