INCREASED EFFORTS LEAD TO CROCODILE CAPTURE

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.