21/04/2005 - Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister for the Environment
and Heritage, Greg Hunt MP, has announced
that Kakadu rangers and Jabiru Council workers
yesterday removed a saltwater crocodile from
Jabiru Lake, an artificial lake right in the
centre of Jabiru township.
"The 1.7 metre female saltie had eluded
rangers for six months, despite many attempts
to capture it," Greg Hunt said.
"Finally at 12.30 pm on Wednesday word
came that the croc had finally entered the
trap.
"Rangers removed the crocodile and after
consulting traditional owners, the croc was
tagged, transported to the South Alligator
boat ramp and released at 3.30 pm. The animal
was in good health and made a quick getaway."
"There's no hard and fast rule about
how long it takes to trap a crocodile,"
Garry Lindner said.
"You just need to try different approaches
and be patient.
"Smaller juvenile animals, especially
females, can be relocated more easily than
larger males. They pose less of a threat to
established male territories in the areas
where they are released.
"We released the croc into another catchment
system to prevent it from easily making its
way back into the Jabiru Lake. However, there's
no telling where she may end up."
Dave Tollner MP praised the cooperative efforts
of Kakadu and Jabiru Town Council staff.
"This has been a great community effort,"
Dave Tollner said.
"Council staff have been working with
Kakadu rangers to bait and monitor the trap
and, of course, there are crocodile warning
signs in place.
"This latest capture sounds another warning
to visitors that Kakadu is crocodile country.
Whether boating, fishing or walking around
waterways, please obey the crocodile safety
signs."
Senator Scullion said it would be wrong for
anyone to become complacent about crocodile
safety as a result of an increasing number
of crocodiles being trapped.
"Every year, Kakadu rangers are putting
more and more resources into managing the
increasing numbers of crocodiles," Senator
Scullion said.
"They have processes in place to protect
visitor safety and enjoyment and to remove
crocodiles which pose a threat to the public.
"I join with Greg Hunt and Dave Tollner
in congratulating Garry Lindner, his team
and the traditional owners for the work they're
doing to protect the wonderful biodiversity
at Kakadu. They're helping to make sure that
Territorians and people from around the world
can continue to appreciate Kakadu's magnificent
wildlife."
This is the third saltwater crocodile captured
in Jabiru Lake. In the mid 11000s rangers
removed a two metre male and in 2003 they
caught a 1.2 metre female.