Crocodile Repopulation In Australia

Australian Crocodiles are absolutely massive when full grown. When I was on a 3 day tour in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory of Australia, I was just awestruck and dumbfounded when we came close up with the crocodile population.

My Story:
We were to go out in 3-seater boats with small outboard motors on the waterways of Kakadu National Park with a tour-guide that could have been Steve Irwin’s twin brother in action! He was in the water pulling in the boats with the water up to chin, and I am thinking, “I know what I read…There have to be crocs in the water here!”

A group of about 15 tourists from all over the world were in our company, and once we were all aboard our boats, the 2 English guys in my boat nudged me to ask what we were doing out there…So, I did…

He answered me, “We’re Croc Spottin’!” I thought, okay, I know there has to be crocs out here, as I suspected earlier, but for the past 10 min, we hadn’t seen anything yet…So, I just repeated what he said as a question…”We’re Croc Spottin’? But we haven’t seen anything yet…”

He responded, “Well, don’t stand up, move quickly or shake your ponytail…There’s one beside your boat” calmly. So, my 2 English comrades and I moved our eyes from side to side to see what he was talking about…

Sure enough, an enormous crocodile emerged from the beneath the water a few seconds later…Bigger Than Our Boat!!! Longer and a little wider than our 3-seater boat. The belly was almost as big as our boat alone! Needless to say, we didn’t move an inch!

The entire day was filled with gigantic saltwater Australian Crocodiles close up!

What an experience that I will never forget…

Scientific Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
(unranked) Archosauria
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Crocodylidae

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Northern Territory Crocodile Farming Raises Wild Population
By Chris M Jones

Published in Reptile Care Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 4.

The first rush of crocodile hunters began in 1945. It is estimated in their first year alone, they killed around 80’000 crocodiles in the Northern Territory. This carried on right through to 1971, when a ban on the export of crocodile products was put in place. It is hard to judge exactly how many crocodiles were killed, but Estuarine (Saltwater) Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) were thought to be on the brink of extinction, with only a handful of animals left.

In 1971 they were moved to Appendix I of CITES (Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species); the same category as animals such as Pandas and Tigers. This lasted until 1986, when they moved down to Appendix II and could therefore be exported again. This time though; there were rules. Only farmed animals could be used for commercial purposes. This opened up a huge door to make way for a number of crocodile farms.

The Northern Territory has 8 Crocodile Farms, housing a total of around 100’000 crocodiles. Some of these are bred in captivity; most of the others are collected from aboriginal owned land. Crocodile farmers will pay the aboriginal people up to $20 per egg collected, giving them a substantial income. Due to this, native Australians have learnt to respect the crocodiles and live harmoniously with them, allowing the wild population to grow in numbers.

To this day crocodiles are not allowed to be hunted in Australia, and because of the legalised Crocodile Farming, there is virtually no black market. The wild population is now estimated to be over 100’000. There are several hundred Australians employed in the crocodile industry and many more Aboriginal communities who earn a living out of the farms, and in turn keep the wild populations alive.

Dr Grahame Webb, Director of Crocodylus Park has dedicated his life to the successful management and sustainable use of crocodiles. He is considered the world’s leading authority on crocodiles. Crocodylus Park continues to put thousands of dollars every year into educating the public and allowing for a better understanding of this wonderful species. Without these people, Crocodylus porosus would most like be extinct today.

By Chris Jones
Director of Pet Club UK Ltd.
www.petclubuk.com

For more information on crocodiles and farming methods, please visit http://www.petclubuk.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_M_Jones
http://EzineArticles.com/?Northern-Territory-Crocodile-Farming-Raises-Wild-Population&id=260689

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I hope you enjoyed today’s installment of Exotic Animal Lover! Until next time…

Live Exotically,

Kimberly Edwards

P.S. Check out this fabulous book on Alligator & Crocodile Rescue:

Alligator & Crocodile Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife

Technorati Tags: Northern Territory, croc, crocodile, farming, Darwin, crocodylus, alligator, crocodilian, Australia, Australian animal, reptile

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