Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Wildlife Ranger Ian Hunt on the 3.72 metre salty caught this week in a popular swimming and fishing spot...and the dangers for Territorians

Transcript

Wildlife Ranger Ian Hunt on the 3.72 metre salty caught this week in a popular swimming and fishing spot...and the dangers for Territorians · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We know that a video posted to Facebook yesterday has
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: shown the sighting of a large saltwater crocodile near Hicks
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Road at the Whitewood Road turnoff in the rural area
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: there near Howard Springs, a spot where people do I
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: think fish and swim if you live in that area
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: and you want to let us know. But in addition
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  Speaker 1: to that, there was a three point seven to two
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  Speaker 1: meter crocodile removed on Tuesday from the popular Manton Dam,
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: the overflow fishing spot there, causing calling, I should say,
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  Speaker 1: renewed calls from the Department of Environment, Parks and Water
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  Speaker 1: Security for croc safety and a bit of a reminder
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  Speaker 1: I think you'd have to say for all of us
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  Speaker 1: to make sure that we are being croc wise. Now
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  Speaker 1: joining me on the line right now is Wildlife Ranger
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  Speaker 1: Ian Hunt. Good morning to you, Ian, Good morning Katie,
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  Speaker 1: and tell us a bit more about these two crocs. Well,
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  Speaker 1: I know that there was a video on Facebook of
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  Speaker 1: the saltwater crocodile near Hicks Road there at Whitewood Road.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Is that somewhere where people surely they don't swim in there?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? That is unforcing a place where a lot of
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  Speaker 2: people in the in the rural area, do you like
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  Speaker 2: to go to cool off and have a swim. And
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  Speaker 2: it's just calling, you know, for people to just be
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  Speaker 2: very mindful of the fact that crocodiles move through that
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  Speaker 2: area all the time. It's not something we're just saying to,
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: you know, to just because we enjoy saying it. It
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  Speaker 2: is something that happens and that that video just clearly
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  Speaker 2: shows how brazen those crops are moving up those creeks
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  Speaker 2: and into waterways and places that peak people are swimming
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  Speaker 2: with their kids and their pets.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it was motoring as well. I thought, well, it
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  Speaker 1: was like it was really moving. I thought you would
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  Speaker 1: not want to be anywhere near it.
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  Speaker 2: No, that's right, that's right. Yeah, they say those crops
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  Speaker 2: move through those waterways very quickly, very easily, over rocky
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  Speaker 2: waterways and over our crops. There no dramas at all.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Is it a commonplace where you find crocodiles in
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  Speaker 1: that area.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we have removed crocodiles out of that creek obviously
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  Speaker 2: this time of year when that water's right up. We
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  Speaker 2: removed crocodiles in the past, and I'm sure we'll continue
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  Speaker 2: to do so in the future.
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  Speaker 1: Now I know that there was also a crocodile at
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Manton Dam. I know plenty of people out there, wreck fishers, swimmers,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: also those water skiing, et cetera. Whereabouts was this one?
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  Speaker 2: So this crocodile on Monday was removed from the overflow
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  Speaker 2: so past the dam wall. It flows into a creek
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  Speaker 2: line there which goes past the old power station. And
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  Speaker 2: it was just right there at the power station where
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  Speaker 2: that crocodile was removed.
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  Speaker 1: And is that somewhere where you've obviously caught them there
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  Speaker 1: before as well?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's an area where crocodiles. There's pretty much every
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  Speaker 2: waterway in the top end we've caught crocodiles from there.
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  Speaker 2: Crocodiles move around everywhere, but it's an area that was
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  Speaker 2: highlighted to us because somebody had seen that crocodile when
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  Speaker 2: they were out fishing alerted us to the fact that
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  Speaker 2: there was a large crocodile in there, and we were
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  Speaker 2: able to remove that crocodile quote in an a fishing
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  Speaker 2: manner quite quickly, which was good.
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  Speaker 1: And so this might be a stupid question, Ian, tell
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  Speaker 1: me if it is. But obviously people do water ski
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  Speaker 1: and do have their their recreational sort of activities in
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  Speaker 1: Manton Dam. But this this is like it's still in
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: the vicinity, but in a separate area. Is that correct?
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: That's correct. So it's below the dam wall. That crocodile
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  Speaker 2: would have had to walk up around through the rocky
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  Speaker 2: outcrops that you get into the dam. We do have
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  Speaker 2: traps in the Manton Dam area itself. We do remove
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: saltwater crocodiles from There is an area where we actively manage.
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  Speaker 2: So we can't remove all risk. We can't remove every
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  Speaker 2: single crocodile. Even though we are actively removing crocodiles from
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  Speaker 2: the area, crops moving all the time undetected.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, so you still have to be safe yep.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Still have to be vigilant, so have to be croc
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  Speaker 2: wise and be aware the crops are in every waterway.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. Do you have any idea at this point in time?
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  Speaker 1: I know it's on the early days in the year,
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  Speaker 1: but have you removed a few crocodiles from our waterways
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  Speaker 1: so far this year?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? Busy couple of months so far. We've up to
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  Speaker 2: about thirty five crocodiles removed so far for twenty twenty two,
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  Speaker 2: and there's some big, big crops as well. We've had
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  Speaker 2: a couple over four meters and quite a few overtween
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  Speaker 2: and a half removed from.
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  Speaker 1: Creeks, and yeah, goodness me, that is a high number already,
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  Speaker 1: given the fact that we're on the midway through February.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. So it's generally our busier time for
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  Speaker 2: removing crocodiles during the wet season, so we expect to
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  Speaker 2: see a lot more crowdile's been removed in the first
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  Speaker 2: few months of the year. Yeah, but yeah, it's pretty
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  Speaker 2: normal for us.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Now, mate, before I let you go, I understand that
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  Speaker 1: your wonderful team, your Kroc management team is actually we'll
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: saying goodbye to Stuart somebody who's been working in the
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  Speaker 1: team in parks for thirty eight years since nineteen eighty three.
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  Speaker 1: He's done stints on the KROC team as well as
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  Speaker 1: at parks across the Northern Territory and he was actually
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  Speaker 1: one of the first rangers at Litchfield National Park.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. Yes, Stuart Well has been a fantastic
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  Speaker 2: ranger for say, almost forty years. It's been a mentor
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  Speaker 2: to a lot of younger rangers coming through. He's been
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  Speaker 2: instrumental in opening up places like Lichfield National Park and
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: even Limit National Park. He played an important role there
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  Speaker 2: in opening that park up when it was a developing
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  Speaker 2: young park. He's just been a fantastic guy and we're
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  Speaker 2: going to miss him. Usually he's spent a lot of
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  Speaker 2: time with the Crocodile Management team and we've learned a
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  Speaker 2: lot from him, and we're going to miss him.
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  Speaker 1: I bet you are what an amazing bloke. Thirty eight
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  Speaker 1: years nearly forty years, that is unbelievable stuff. I understand
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  Speaker 1: that he even has done some pretty crazy things like
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  Speaker 1: catching crocodiles with Prince Harry.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah that's eat. Yeah, he's done a few things like that.
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  Speaker 2: He seems to get around and get all the good jobs.
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  Speaker 1: Good on him. Will a big congratulations to him on
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  Speaker 1: a very long career. What a wonderful achievement. And I
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  Speaker 1: bet you guys are sad to see him guy.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's going to be very different not having him around.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Ian Hunt, we always appreciate your time, mate, Thank
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  Speaker 1: you so very much for having a chat with us
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  Speaker 1: and always a reminder for Territorians to be crock wise awesome.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Thanks for your time, Katie, Thank you