General News
10 June, 2021
Entsch support calls for crocs tags
MEMBER for Leichhardt Warren Entsch, a former crocodile farmer, has supported calls for crocodile tagging and tracking in the far north.
“There was an ocean kayaking business at Cape Tribulation and they had to pull that because of the risk of crocs,” he said.
“I was up at Wonga Beach recently and I arrived the day after someone’s dog got taken right on the waterfront.
“That’s why Peter and Brett Wright want to make changes, and they should be listened to.
“They shouldn’t have to shut their businesses down because of the risk of crocs. The risk is there. Its real and it shouldn’t be discounted.
“You’ve also got to be mindful that particularly in the Daintree, there are varying tourism operators there that rely on crocs as part of the ecosystem, so you can’t afford to overreact.
“I have a view that in areas where there are a large amount of [people], like on Four Mile Beach, there should be a zero tolerance. Any croc that comes in needs to be removed.
RELATED: Call for croc tagging and tracking
“I like the idea very much of the monitoring, the tagging that can easily be done where we know there are crocodiles.
“Especially the roving males. Females generally stay in an area, but with the males I think there’s a good argument, particularly if we know that they’re there, to make sure they don’t get displaced by a different male and move into areas where they come into more contact with people.
“We’ve already got Indigenous Rangers that have a contract to trap and remove crocs. They’ve got the experience, and this may be an opportunity for them to come in and trap and tag in some of the areas where you need the animals to remain, to avoid … tragedy and keep these businesses thriving.”
Member for Cook Cynthia Lui said the Queensland government was utilising cutting-edge detection and alert technology to keep people safe from crocs, some of which are outlined in a DES statement published
opposite.
