To conserve or cull? Life in Australia’s crocodile capital

It’s dawn in Darwin Harbor and ranger Kelly Ewin – whose job it is to catch and remove crocodiles – is casually settling on a floating trap.

Heavy rain clouds from a recently passed storm are overhead. The ship’s engine was cut so it was mostly silent – that is, except for the occasional blast from inside the trap.

“You get a lot of chances with these guys,” Ewin says as he tries to close the angry reptile’s jaw.

We are in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT), home to 100,000 saltwater crocodiles, more than anywhere else in the world.

The capital, Darwin, is a small coastal city surrounded by beaches and wetlands.

And, as you quickly learn here in the NT, where there is water, there are often crocodiles.

Saltwater crocodiles – or saltwater, as they are known to locals – were nearly hunted to extinction 50 years ago.

After the end of the Second World War, the uncontrolled trade in their skins increased dramatically and the number reached about 3,000.

But when hunting was banned in 1971, the population began to rise again – and quickly.

They are still protected species, but they are no longer threatened.

The saltwater crocodile’s recovery has been so remarkable that Australia now faces another challenge: managing their population for safety and sustainability.

“The worst thing that can happen is when people turn around [against crocodiles],” explains croc expert Prof Grahame Webb.

“Then the politician always comes and bows down [that] they have ‘solved’ the crocodile problem.”

The temperature of the NT and many coastal areas make it a perfect habitat for cold-blooded crocodiles, which need warmth to keep their bodies warm.

There are also large salt populations in Northern Queensland and Western Australia as well as parts of South East Asia.

Although most species of crocodiles are harmless, this crocodile is ferocious and dangerous.

Murder incidents are rare in Australia, but they do happen.

Last year, a 12-year-old boy was taken – the first death from a crocodile in the NT since 2018.

This is a very busy time of year for Ewin and his friends.

Breeding season has just begun, which means salties are on the move.

His team is out on the water several times a week, checking 24 crocodile traps around Darwin.

The area is known for its fishing, as well as its intrepid divers.

Crocodiles that are removed from the harbor are often killed, because when they are released elsewhere, they can return to the harbor.

“It’s our job to try to protect people as much as possible,” says Ewin, who has been doing his “dream job” for two years. Before that, he was a police officer.

“Obviously we don’t catch any crocodiles, but when we leave the port, there is less risk of crocodile encounters with people.”

Another tool to help people be safe is education.

The NT Government goes to schools with its “Be Crocwise” program – which teaches people how to be careful around crocodile habitats.

It’s been so successful that Florida and the Philippines are now looking to borrow it, to better understand how the world’s most dangerous enemies can co-exist with people with little contact.

“We live in the country of crocodiles, so it’s about how we live [keep ourselves] safe at the water’s edge – how should we respond?” says Natasha Hoffman, the site manager who runs the program in the NT.

“If you’re in a boat fishing, you need to know they’re there. They’re ambush hunters, they sit, they watch and they wait. If there’s a chance they’re going to catch food, they’re going to hide.” that’s what they’ve done.”

In the NT, mass killings are not on the table considering the safety of the species.

Last year, the government approved a new 10-year plan to control crocodiles, which increased the number of crocodiles that can be killed each year from 300 to 1,200.

This is on top of the work that Ewin’s team is doing to remove any crocodiles that may directly harm humans.

Every time there is a death, it creates a conflict about the crocodiles that live near people.

Within days of the abduction of the 12-year-old girl last year, then Territory leader Eva Lawler made it clear she would not allow the reptiles to outnumber the NT population.

Currently this represents 250,000, more than the number of wild crocodiles.

It is a conversation that goes through the NT.

Queensland is home to about a quarter of the number of crocodiles that the Top End of the NT has, but there are more visitors, and more deaths, which means they are sometimes discussed in elections.

Apex opponents can argue, and it is a great card of NT – for tourists and for fashion designers who want to buy their skins.

Visitors can go to the Adelaide River to watch the “crocodile jump” – which involves eating salt from the meat at the end of a stick if they can jump into the water for their audience.

“I have to tell you to put yours on [life-jackets] on,” jokes the executive director of Spectacular Jumping Croc Cruises, Alex ‘Wookie’ Williams, as he explains the house rules of the boat.

“I don’t have to tell you… [is that] protective clothing is useless out here.”

For Williams, who has been fascinated by crocodiles since childhood, there are many opportunities to work with them.

“It’s been increasing over the last 10 years or so,” he says of the number of visitors to the area.

Agriculture, which was introduced when hunting was banned, has also become an economic driver.

It is estimated that there are now about 150,000 crocodiles in captivity in the NT.

Fashion labels such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès – which sell a Birkin 35 croc bag for up to A$800,000 ($500,000; £398,000) – have all invested in the industry.

“Commercial incentives are well established to help people cope with crocodiles, because we need a license to use wildlife,” said Mick Burns, one of the NT’s leading farmers who work with high-end businesses.

His office is in Darwin. Spread on the floor is a large crocodile skin. On the wall of the meeting room, there is another piece of leather that runs about four meters.

Burns is also involved in a remote farm in Arnhem Land, about 500km (310 miles) east of Darwin. There, they work alongside Aboriginal rangers to harvest and hatch crocodile eggs to sell their hides to luxury goods companies.

One of the area’s owners, Otto Bulmaniya Campion, who works with Burns, says more partnerships like theirs are needed to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people share in the economic benefits of the industry.

For thousands of years, crocodiles have played an important role in the cultures of the Indians, forming their sacred stories, their lives and their lives.

“My father, all the elders, used to go hunting for crocodiles, take the skin and sell tea, flour and sugar. [However] there was no money at that time,” says Balngarra.

“Now, we want to see our people who are handling the reptiles.”

But not everyone has farming as a hobby – even those involved say it helps with maintenance.

Animal lovers are concerned about the way crocodiles are kept in captivity.

Even though they are herd animals, they are often penned alone to keep their skins flawless – as crocodiles between two groups can destroy a valuable commodity.

Everyone in Darwin has a story about these dangerous creatures, regardless of whether they want to see them hunted more or protected.

But the threats they continue to pose are not being considered.

“If you go [swimming in] “Adelaide River near Darwin, there’s a 100% chance you’ll be killed,” Prof Webb says candidly.

“The only question is whether it will take five minutes or 10 minutes. I don’t think you will make it to 15 – you will be torn,” he adds, lifting his trouser leg to reveal a large scar. on her calf – evidence of a close encounter with an angry woman about forty years ago when she was collecting eggs.

He does not question what he calls the pragmatism of the authorities to manipulate the numbers and make money from the crocodiles on the road – a way of life that, in the near future, will exist.

“We’ve done what very few people can do, which is take a very dangerous beast … and manage it in a way that people are ready to do it. [tolerate] they.

“You try to get people in Sydney or London or New York to put up with a big monster – they can’t.”