Feel like there’s been an awful lot of croc yarns about in recent months? So do the residents of Far North Queensland, a.k.a. Crocville, a.k.a. Home Of The Big Lizard, a.k.a. Land Of The Long White Scream.
Unfortunately, according to local politicians, there’s not much that can be done about all these sanguine saurians who insist on populating our most attractive and frequented swimming holes, beaches, rivers, and golf courses.
After Kewarra Beach and Mission Beach both suffered croc-related closures within the past week, the hat-wearing racist bumper sticker known as Bob Katter suggested that this was why he’s so supportive of Queenslanders in the state’s far north being allowed to go on croc hunting safaris.
But Barron River MP Craig Crawford succinctly scuttled that particularly dumb idea, speaking to reporters on the matter today.
“Crocodiles have been here for millions of years and they’re going to be here for millions of years.When we take one out of a creek or estuary, we simply put up a vacancy sign waiting for another one to move in. We know that simply outright shooting or culling them is not appropriate, and is certainly not an option.“
He suggested (I’m going to say sensibly) that dealing with giant unblinking basically immortal dinosaur-descendents who really, really want to eat you is probably best left up to the experts.
Cairns Mayor Bob Manning agrees, although with, it has to be said, a slightly more defeatist attitude, telling the Cairns Post:
“It’s not the most money, but this is the biggest issue for many people within the coastal fringes. It really is impacting upon lifestyle and upon safety issues.You can’t buy an app for your phone (about crocs), you can’t teach two and three-year-olds to be croc-wise. They don’t understand the ferocity of these animals and just how good they are at what they do.“
In summary? The big toothy bastards have been here a lot longer than we have, have many more pointy teeth than we do, and probably won’t take kindly to being issued eviction notices in the form of blokes in cowboy hats waving rifles at every estuary and mangrove swamp. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: just don’t go in the water, ever. EVEN IF YOU’RE ON FIRE.
Source: Cairns Post.
Image: Bill Birtwhistle / Getty.
