Almost 8,000 people have so far signed a petition against the proposal which has been described as a ‘silent cull’
Critics of a proposal to remove more large crocodiles from Queensland’s populated far north coast say the move will result in a “silent cull” and could actually put more people at risk of attack.
The Queensland government said crocodile numbers had been slowly rising and it was conducting modelling to see what impact taking more animals out of the wild would have on the species.
Since 1975, there had been 47 crocodile attacks in the state, causing 16 deaths. The government said the rate of non-fatal attacks had been increasing.
But one crocodile expert described the proposal as dangerous, saying it could lull the public into a false sense of security, disrupt the animal’s social structures and cause populations to become unviable.
Hunting until the late 1970s almost wiped out saltwater crocodiles, but subsequent protection had raised numbers to an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 in the state.
Crocodiles are listed as vulnerable in Queensland. The government has routinely removed about 50 “problem crocodiles” annually, mostly in response to public sightings.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...iles-could-raise-risk-of-attacks-experts-warn
Critics of a proposal to remove more large crocodiles from Queensland’s populated far north coast say the move will result in a “silent cull” and could actually put more people at risk of attack.
The Queensland government said crocodile numbers had been slowly rising and it was conducting modelling to see what impact taking more animals out of the wild would have on the species.
Since 1975, there had been 47 crocodile attacks in the state, causing 16 deaths. The government said the rate of non-fatal attacks had been increasing.
But one crocodile expert described the proposal as dangerous, saying it could lull the public into a false sense of security, disrupt the animal’s social structures and cause populations to become unviable.
Hunting until the late 1970s almost wiped out saltwater crocodiles, but subsequent protection had raised numbers to an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 in the state.
Crocodiles are listed as vulnerable in Queensland. The government has routinely removed about 50 “problem crocodiles” annually, mostly in response to public sightings.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...iles-could-raise-risk-of-attacks-experts-warn