Crocs - Are there too many?
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A “salty” at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures
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The Australian public, if not the whole world, has a soft spot for Crocodylus porosus, due largely to the amazing work of the late Steve Irwin, alias the Crocodile Hunter, as well as the timeless blockbuster movie, Crocodile Dundee.
But in the opinion of many, including myself, the conservation of "salties" (as the estuarine crocodiles are called here in northern Queensland) has been taken too far. They are exceedingly dangerous animals and their numbers have increased dramatically from around 5000 in the 70's (when they were
placed on the proteced list) to around 150,000 in 2008.
There are now large numbers in close proximity to human habitation and you never know where they will turn up - on popular beaches or even in the middle of cities. Deaths from salties are becoming more frequent and causing great concern amongst those who have to live alongside them.
While estuarine crocodiles are an extremely fascinating and ancient species, claims that they play an important role in maintaining the balance of wetland ecosystems are probably over-stated. (I suppose it depends what balance you want - was the balance in 1974 any “less healthy” than the balance now?) As adult crocs are at the top of the food chain in their habitat, their impact on the environment could well be seen as mainly negative. Their prey includes birds, wallabies, turtles, snakes, lizards, frogs and fish.
Although baby crocs are eaten by just about everything else bigger than themselves (including adult male crocs), a reduction in their numbers would probably have little effect on the food chain because the niche they occupy would be filled by other small fry that would become more numerous following the decline in the population of adult crocs.
Of course, it is imperative to ensure that reasonable sized populations of the species are preserved in all their major habitats. The Queensland Government has a quite broad-minded conservation plan which aims to do just that. Amongst other things it allows for the removal of crocs from urban areas and for their commercial exploitation (mainly through crocodile farming).
But by tagging them with the “vulnerable species” label, it is inevitable that the interests of the salties will continue to be given priority. Which means they will continue to thrive and multiply. Unfortunately we humans are doing the same, and more of us are venturing into traditional croc territory.
The crocs seem to be winning - paradoxically with a lot of help from ourselves. It’s clear they are no longer under threat and the conservation program needs to ease up.
Surely we have far too many of these ferocious killers and it's high time we started culling them again. For more information (especially important for overseas travellers to the outback) see Australian Saltwater Crocodiles).
Comments:
1. It’s a pity the public hasn’t been educated to enjoy and understand living things at the lower end of the food chain - such as plankton - which matter very much to the planet and whose existence is threatened by climate change and other global factors.
2. There are many much more obnoxious creatures than crocodiles - domestic dogs and cats and their owners, for example!
........Dabs of Grue..........10/12/2002........................HOME
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