The growing Crocodile menace !

Residents of Rockhampton trying to restore order after recent flooding are being menaced by Saltwater Crocodiles roaming their suburbs.  Each year the range of these reptilian holdovers from the age of the Dinosaurs moves further south along the Western Australian and Queensland coastline.

There have always been Crocodiles in the tropical waters of northern Australia, but they were a hunted species and this controlled their numbers.   During the war years, troop movements exacerbated the killing of
Crocodiles and they came near to extinction.  As a result, Saltwater Crocodiles were declared  a protected species in Western Australia in 1970, Northern Territory in 1971 and Queensland in in 1974.

Their numbers have now exploded and we face the prospect of an invasion similar to that of the Cane Toad. Global warming is extending their natural habitat and we could lose access to rivers and the ocean which are so much an Australian sporting and lifestyle item if this encroachment is not checked.

Part of the problem is the living habits of Saltwater Crocodiles.  Dominant males are territorial and they establish a " territory " for their harem.   Younger males passing through are attacked and forced to move further afield - and consequently the Crocodile habitat in constantly enlarging.

We need to do two things.  We should establish the point south at which no further Crocodile expansion will be permitted, and we should reestablish a Crocodile kill quota to keep numbers under control across the entire Crocodile habitat.

There is an existing Crocodile industry based on Crocodile farms but this can be expanded and these creatures are a valuable natural resource.  Their skins are in demand  and with proper promotion there is no reason why Crocodile meat could not be both an export industry and alternative to beef, lamb and pork in Australian food stores.

The days of total species protection has served it's purpose and we need to bring the numbers under control.
It is sad to see Darwin's beautiful beaches unused because of the Crocodile menace, but unless we take positive action that same fate awaits other areas that Australians consider their water playground.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that if no action is taken, by the end of this century we may have Crocodiles in Sydney harbour !