Jan 27 2008
Crocodile
Crocodiles may be the ultimate survivors but their existence becomes more precarious each year. Over 200 million years of succesful adaptation and outlasting the dinosaurs doesn’t weigh much when people are involved. Australian crocodiles are protected. The freshwater crocodile is found nowhere else and the threatened estuarine crocodile has a chance to survive here. Everyone wants to see one of these fearsome creatures in the wild but the only safe place for the experience is with accredited tour operators or crocodile parks such as Koorana in Queensland.
Otherwise, beware! Crocodiles are dangerous, and visitors who forget this have lost their lives. On average, one person a year is killed, usually by ignoring common sense safety rules.
Camp at least 50 metres away from water. Crocodiles spend much of their day basking or hidden in mud and don’t become visible until you’re up close, and that’s too close!
Look carfeully for slide marks along beaches, billabongs, waterfalls, rivers and waterholes but, above all, read the signs. Needless tragedies have occurred when warnings are ignored. The thought of a cool refreshing swim after a day in the Outback is very appealing but if a sign warns you of crocodiles, believe it ! Why take the risk?
Crocodiles are highly skilled predators. They can swim under water at 30 kilometres an hour without a sign of a ripple on the surface. They can jump out of the water to catch low flying birds, or suddenly burst out on to river banks and, for a short distance, outrun a horse. A short distance is all a crocodile needs.
If you’re going crocodile spotting, don’t go out in anything but a stable boat.
Travel quietly and always keep your hands and legs inside the boat. Never provoke crocodiles, even little ones.
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Freshwater crocodiles, crocodylus johnstoni, aren’t usually dangerous to people but they’re often difficult to distinguish when partially submerged. It’s easy to step on one if you’re not looking. A cornered ‘freshie’ will defend itself by biting or lashing with its long tail and a bite from a crocodile defending its territory will put an abrupt and painful end to your holiday. Estuarine crocodiles, crocodylus porosus, known as ’salties’, live in fresh, estuarine or saltwater environments, such as floodplains, billabongs, rivers and coastal waters. They are aggressive, extremely dangerous and have attacked and killed people. Both species are found in northern Australia, mainly across the top of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Crocodiles are incredible creatures, a reminder of the ancient past of our planet and they serve to remind us that whole species of life forms are dying around us. Look at a crocodile with respect, he is much much older than you and I and the whole swarm of humanity now destroying his last fortresses. And when you look upon a crocodile, make sure you are with an accredited wildlife guide.
Sweetheart
A well known crocodile in Australian history is Sweetheart. He went on a rampage in 1979 attacking and overturning small aluminium fishing boats in the Finniss River, Northern Territory.
Sweetheart didn’t kill anyone, but it was deemed prudent to capture him with the intent of moving him well away from populated areas.
The process of trapping the big croc was exhausting, and Sweetheart did not recover. His body has been preserved and can be seen at the Northern Territory Museum and Art Galleries in Darwin.
Recommended
The Crocodile Hunter : The Incredible Life and Adventures of Steve and Terri Irwin
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