Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Ian Hunt from Parks and Wildlife about the capture of two crocs in Nightcliff

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Katie spoke with Ian Hunt from Parks and Wildlife about the capture of two crocs in Nightcliff · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Was joining me on the line.
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  Speaker 2: Right now is Ian Hunt, the wildlife manager with Parks
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: and Wildlife.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Ian.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. How are you going?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah?
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  Speaker 1: Pretty good?
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  Speaker 2: Ian. Front page of the paper today a couple of
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  Speaker 2: crocodiles actually in some areas where well there's plenty of
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  Speaker 2: people around, one in Nightcliff and one down there at
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  Speaker 2: Mindle Beach.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah that's right. Yeah. We had a call on Saturday
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  Speaker 3: morning to let us know that we had a one
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  Speaker 3: point seven meter crocodile caught in that trap that we
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  Speaker 3: sat down there at Little Mindle Creek. So we were
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  Speaker 3: called to remove that animal, and then later on we
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  Speaker 3: were informed that there's been an animal sited at Nightcliff
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  Speaker 3: Beach there on the foreshore.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, a Nightcliff. I know that.
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  Speaker 2: You know, you're always encouraging people to be crock wise,
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  Speaker 2: but Nightcliff is sort of one of those areas where
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  Speaker 2: you do quite often see people around the water, and
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  Speaker 2: I know in that photo that's on the front page
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  Speaker 2: there is someone paddleboarding not too far away.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right. Yeah, we keep reminding people, Katie that
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  Speaker 3: crocodiles along the foreshore a long night, but there it's
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  Speaker 3: not an unusual event, it does happen, and people do
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  Speaker 3: need to be crock wise this time of year, temorages
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  Speaker 3: are warming up, there's a lot more rain around, and
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  Speaker 3: crops are going to be moving around a lot more,
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  Speaker 3: so everyone needs to be extra vigilant and look after
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  Speaker 3: themselves well.
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  Speaker 2: And it's not that long ago that we were talking
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  Speaker 2: on here as well about the situation with the dog
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  Speaker 2: there at the Dripstone Cliffs.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, there's been a couple of instances over the last
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  Speaker 3: few weeks of people with pets dogs actually being attracted
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  Speaker 3: by the crocodiles. Crocodiles come in to see the dogs
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  Speaker 3: and there's been a few close calls. So again it's
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  Speaker 3: the time the reminder if you're down the beach, any waterways, fishing,
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  Speaker 3: or just using the waterways recreationally, you know, be careful,
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  Speaker 3: look after yourselves, kids and your pet.
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  Speaker 2: Ian. Has it been a busy year for you guys
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  Speaker 2: or are those crocodile numbers sort of pretty similar to
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  Speaker 2: what you see each and every year.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a pretty average year. We're a little bit
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  Speaker 3: higher than the numbers we've got the last couple of years,
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  Speaker 3: but we're I think sitting at about two hundred and seventy
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  Speaker 3: crocodiles captured this year around the Darwin region. So that's
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  Speaker 3: pretty average for us.
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  Speaker 2: And I mean it's the size of them pretty normal
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  Speaker 2: as well. Or are you seeing biggest sort of crocodiles
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  Speaker 2: closer to those areas where people are sort of pretty
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  Speaker 2: regularly frequenting.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's remained pretty ridge for us. We've we've bought
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  Speaker 3: out some big crocodiles out of the harbor. I think
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  Speaker 3: the biggest one this year was to say, before and
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  Speaker 3: a half meters And we're catching crocodiles of all sizes
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  Speaker 3: from one and a half meters upwards. So yeahs I're
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  Speaker 3: moving around and we find them in all of our
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  Speaker 3: creeks and waterways.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you certainly do. And I know that you guys
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  Speaker 2: are always very busy. You've always got those traps out
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  Speaker 2: and about, don't you.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, we were trapping three hundred and sixty five
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  Speaker 3: days a year, trying to keep the public safe and
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  Speaker 3: responding to all the callouts that we receive.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and what about with those dogs.
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  Speaker 2: With those dogs where there's been the close calls, goodness,
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  Speaker 2: met a couple of them have been like really close,
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  Speaker 2: haven't they.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right. We removed an animal crocodile yesterday from
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  Speaker 3: creek just out of the back of Parmerston at Mitchell Creek.
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  Speaker 2: There.
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  Speaker 3: We were alerted to that one by a member of
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  Speaker 3: the public who was take their dog for a walk
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  Speaker 3: along that creek line and the croc actually came out
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  Speaker 3: and had to go at their dog while they were
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  Speaker 3: walking it. Luckily, we were able to get down there
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  Speaker 3: and remove that animal within a timely fashion.
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  Speaker 1: Oh holy moly, where was that Mitchell Creek.
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  Speaker 3: That's Mitchell Creek just behind Palmers and there on roast
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  Speaker 3: Onia Avenue.
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  Speaker 1: Oh was it a very big crocodile that one or
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  Speaker 1: a smaller one that.
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  Speaker 3: Was about two meters when we got to the measure
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  Speaker 3: taclay far out.
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  Speaker 2: Still pretty worrying, isn't it. If they do get ahold
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  Speaker 2: of your dog.
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  Speaker 1: That's for sure.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely. That's why we're just letting everybody know. So crops
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  Speaker 3: can and are in every waterway to just be extra Richmond,
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  Speaker 3: be careful. We're trying to do as much as we
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  Speaker 3: can to reduce the risk, but people have to take
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  Speaker 3: responsibility for their actions and make sure that they keep
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  Speaker 3: themselves safe.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that is bloody good advice.
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  Speaker 2: Hey, before I let you go, I know that obviously
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  Speaker 2: it is the time of the year where we expect
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  Speaker 2: quite a bit of rain. We are, you know, like
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  Speaker 2: even outside now it's very overcast. We had a huge
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  Speaker 2: downpour on Monday. Does the movement of those crocodiles get
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  Speaker 2: impacted in any way by the weather?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, obviously the more water we have around, the more
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  Speaker 3: culverts and creeks are flooded, and the more crops can
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  Speaker 3: move around, and the more course if you receive to
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  Speaker 3: let us know that crops are being found in areas
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  Speaker 3: that they aren't during the dry season. But yeah, being
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  Speaker 3: crop wise is something that needs to happen all year round,
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  Speaker 3: not just during the wet season.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, most certainly does well. Ian, I really appreciate your
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  Speaker 2: time this morning. I really appreciate all the time that
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  Speaker 2: you've given us all throughout the year as well, you
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  Speaker 2: and the crocodile management team mate, thank you very much.
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  Speaker 2: I hope that you have a great Christmas.
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  Speaker 3: No, thank you, Katie, thanks for your time, and have
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  Speaker 3: a very merry Christmas. In a happy twenty twenty two.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah you too.
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  Speaker 2: Let's hope it's better than the last couple of years
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  Speaker 2: that we've had with COVID.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks Ian, that's so so funny.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you,