crocodilians

This is one of some newer stories about the giant crocodile Howard, from the same area of Bamboo Creek. This time is not at all about killing a crocodile. Giant crocodile, Howard, has 10yo Elroy on his side — fighting for him to remain on creek bank ABC Far North / By Kristy Sexton-McGrath A 10-year-old boy has penned a letter pleading with authorities not to touch a giant crocodile that has been targeted for removal. The 4-metre crocodile, known as Howard, has long been part of the small community of Miallo, north of Cairns, in far north Queensland. But the State's Environment Department has now set a trap after a resident complained that Howard had been sunning himself on a creek bank that backs onto homes. Schoolboy Elroy Woods said he had written to the State's Environment Minister, Leeanne Enoch, asking for the trap to be removed. "I lived at Bamboo Creek Road for five years, right on Saltwater Creek," he wrote. "I loved watching Howard the crocodile sunbake and enjoyed seeing him from the bridge every afternoon." "I'm very saddened that Howard is being moved away from his home and I don't understand why a trap is there for Howard," he said in the letter. Not a problem croc Elroy is not the only resident to come to Howard's defence — resident and tourism operator David White said Howard had never been a problem. "I know sometimes crocodiles have to be removed because they stalk people and boats, but Howard's never done that," Mr White said. "This crocodile is in a saltwater creek where no one swims." He also said removing a big, dominant crocodile could see other, more aggressive crocodiles take over the area. Elroy's mother, Melissa Hills, said she hoped her son's letter would make it to Ms Enoch. "I was tidying up his room when I found it and we decided to post it," Ms Hills said. Elroy said he was "very careful" around crocodiles. "I always stand back at least 6 metres from the water's edge and don't go near the water at all when it is dark." Source: www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-03/boy-pleads-for-minister-to...

Who were Australia's original crocodile hunters? By Bridget Judd Updated 17 Jul 2018, 12:54pm Crocodile hunting in the Top End was first pioneered by Indigenous Australians, but it's the beer-swilling, knife-wielding macho men of the Northern Territory whose presence has been etched into popular culture. So just who were these daredevils that would come to typify outback Australia? And what happened to them? "I've never been to the NT, but being a keen hunter and experienced bushman, I loved Keith Willey's book Crocodile Hunt from the moment I rescued it from the library throw-out bin," says Curious Darwin questioner Anthony Story. The book tells the tale of the old-school Top End crocodile hunters, documented in the swamp plains of the South Alligator River, bordering Arnhem Land. Willey teamed up with Bill Dean, a professional crocodile shooter, and together, they explore what life was really like on the buffalo plains. The croc-hunting industry really rose to notoriety in the 1950s and 60s, around the time Willey's book was written and published when scores of hunters made their way to the Top End in search of a quick buck. A group of men pull aboard two crocodiles in the Daly River in 1934. PHOTO: Hunters haul in crocodiles along the Daly River. (Supplied: Territory Stories) Tracking down these old timers poses its challenges. Many safari hunting camps went bust when crocodile hunting was outlawed in the NT in 1971, after the animals were hunted almost to extinction, and most — if not all — of the old-school hunters have since passed away. Source: www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1UEAD_en-gbAU966AU966&sxs....

On June 22, 1905, rumours a crocodile had been living in the Logan River, south of Brisbane, were confirmed when local storekeeper Alf Hinds spotted something “floating on the surface of the water, under a willow tree”. Hinds, with the assistance of his brother Jack and publican Charles Rumpf, towed the dead crocodile “down to the ferry landing, and pulled it up onto the bank”. According to the Brisbane Courier newspaper, the 3.83m crocodile had been shot at a few days prior, but not for the first time. Earlier in the year it was reported that William Hammel, an aerated water manufacturer, had sighted “a large alligator” on the bank of the river. He shot at the creature with his rifle, supposedly wounding it, before it “took to the water and disappeared”. The final, fatal shot is generally attributed to one Charlie Goetsch. The discovery of the dead crocodile caused great excitement in Logan Village. Locals posed behind their new trophy and schoolchildren were given an opportunity to inspect this “curiosity”. The Brisbane Courier published a photograph showing a small schoolboy’s head next to the open jaws of the croc, which was later skinned and its stomach revealed to contain corn, several ducks and small turtles. During the crocodile scare some were skeptical. A few weeks prior to the discovery of the dead crocodile a cheeky journalist from the Beaudesert Despatch newspaper attributed sightings to "the bad grog dispensed by the Waterford publicans". The Beaudesert Herald hit back by publishing a letter to the editor saying, "For the benefit of your readers it may not be out of place to mention that the writer of the paragraph referred to was not afraid to sample the "bad grog" on the occasion of the opening of the Waterford Dip. Drinks were free. Nuff sed" The question remained: how did a crocodile end up so far south? Rumour had it that nine years earlier, two well-known Brisbane residents were given a crocodile as a Christmas gift, but the contents of the package mysteriously went missing. If true, it lends credence to the admonition that pets aren’t just for Christmas – they’re for life. Myles Sinnamon - Project Coordinator, State Library of Queensland www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/crocodile-found-logan-river-1905#....