Difficult situation in Australia’s crocodile capital

At dawn on Darwin Harbor, park ranger Kelly Ewin, who specializes in catching and destroying crocodiles, stood precariously on a floating trap. Ewin works in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT), home to an estimated 100,000 wild saltwater crocodiles, more than anywhere else in the world. The NT’s capital, Darwin, is a small coastal city surrounded by beaches and marshes. In the NT, wherever there is water, there are always crocodiles, according to BBC.

Saltwater crocodiles were hunted to extinction 50 years ago. After World War II, the crocodile skin trade skyrocketed out of control and the number of this species decreased to about 3,000 animals. But after a hunting ban was announced in 1971, the crocodile population began to increase rapidly again. They are still a protected species, but are no longer threatened. The recovery of saltwater crocodiles is so strong that Australia now faces a dilemma: managing their numbers to keep people safe.

The NT has hot temperatures and many coastal areas, creating the perfect habitat for cold-blooded crocodiles, which need warmth to maintain a stable body temperature. Northern Queensland and Western Australia also have large saltwater crocodile populations. While most crocodile species are harmless, saltwater crocodiles are highly territorial and aggressive. Deaths from them are rare in Australia but do occur. Last year, a 12-year-old child became the first crocodile victim in the NT since 2018.

This is the busiest time for Ewin and his colleagues. Breeding season has just begun which means saltwater crocodiles are on the move. His team gets out on the water several times a week, checking 24 crocodile traps around Darwin. This area is often visited by people fishing and swimming. Crocodiles caught in port are often killed, because if released elsewhere, they will likely return to port.

Another tool that helps keep communities safe is education. The NT Government introduced the “Be Crocwise” program into schools to teach people to behave properly around crocodile habitats. The program has been so successful that Florida and the Philippines are looking to learn to better understand how the world’s deadliest predator can live alongside humans with minimal interaction.

In the NT, the government cannot mass exterminate saltwater crocodiles because they are a protected species. However, last year, authorities adopted a 10-year crocodile management plan to control their numbers, with the number of crocodiles that can be killed annually increased from 300 to 1,200. The job of Ewin and his colleagues is to destroy any crocodiles that pose a direct threat to humans.

Queensland is home to a quarter of the region’s crocodile population, but has many tourists and far more deaths. Although controversial, this apex predator still brings many economic benefits to the NT, not only attracting tourists but also fashion brands who want to buy its skin. Visitors can head to the Adelaide River to feed saltwater crocodiles as they dart out of the water. There are an estimated 150,000 crocodiles kept in captivity in the NT.

Many brands such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès invest in the industry. Commercial motivation drives people to tolerate crocodiles, according to Mick Burns, one of the farmers working with luxury brands in the NT.