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Katie Woolf spoke with Tom Nichols from the Crocodile Management Team after a croc trap was stolen · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now another thing that has been floating around obviously today
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  Speaker 1: that everybody's wondering exactly what's going on, is this huge
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  Speaker 1: crocodile trap has been stolen. Now joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line to tell us a little bit more about the
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  Speaker 1: theft of this crocodile trap is Tommy Nichols. Who is
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  Speaker 1: the crocodile management. I'm just trying to work out. I's
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  Speaker 1: from Crocodile Management within two Parks and Wildlife.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Tom morning, Kattie Ell are you
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  Speaker 2: not too bad? Mate? Where was this? Where was this
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  Speaker 2: trap stolen from?
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  Speaker 3: Okay, this trap was stolen from Douglas Hot Springs. Like
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  Speaker 3: at the moment, the Douglas Hot Springs is closed, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: for certain reasons, but we always every year put a
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  Speaker 3: trap in there for safety reasons because you've got that
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  Speaker 3: covers crocs coming up from the Douglas River Bridge when
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  Speaker 3: there's a caravan park there and goes up right to
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  Speaker 3: the top of Butterfly Gorge and there's another trap up there.
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  Speaker 3: But even though it's closed, this trap still get rebaited
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  Speaker 3: every week. And that Darius who's in charge of that area,
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  Speaker 3: he does the rebating for us. We set the trap
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  Speaker 3: and we'll get a clock out if it's one there.
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  Speaker 3: He went down there and noticed that the gate was
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  Speaker 3: the trends of self was cut and the trap was missing.
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  Speaker 2: Why why on earth would anybody want to steal the
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  Speaker 2: crocodile trap.
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  Speaker 1: You know, it's there for the for the public, for
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  Speaker 1: the for all of us to make sure that we're
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  Speaker 1: all sort of kept safe. I know you said it's
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  Speaker 1: closed for various reasons, but it just seems quite idiotic
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  Speaker 1: to steal us.
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  Speaker 3: It certainly is. I'm glassed. Unfortunately, we don't seem to
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  Speaker 3: be able to catch these people that do it. I
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  Speaker 3: wish we did. Yeah, but you know, it's something there
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  Speaker 3: which is a safety issue for everybody. And the traps
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  Speaker 3: are worth quite a bit. That wasn't a complete trap
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  Speaker 3: is one of the half traps we got and it's
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  Speaker 3: still worth with over five thousand dollars. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: I don't know why they do it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, like the biggest belief.
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  Speaker 1: You just think to yourself, what on earth would you
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  Speaker 1: want to steal a crocodile trap, and especially when it's
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  Speaker 1: there for the whole community to keep us all safe.
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  Speaker 2: You know, Tommy, how how how big anck.
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  Speaker 1: Does something like this being stolen actually have in terms
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  Speaker 1: of your operations.
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  Speaker 3: Well, it means we have to take another trap down there.
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  Speaker 3: So at the moment, we means we're taking a trap
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  Speaker 3: out of somewhere else to put one back in there.
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  Speaker 3: And so that just throws everything around, and you know,
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  Speaker 3: one of those things that happened unfortunately, and unfortunately wish
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  Speaker 3: we could catch it one day, that's all.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and they.
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  Speaker 1: Look pretty big, like these traps actually look pretty big.
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  Speaker 1: It would no doubt take a bit of manpower to
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  Speaker 1: get it out.
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  Speaker 3: Well, we've got all different sized traps. We've got five
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  Speaker 3: meter traps, we've got six meter traps, but those ones
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  Speaker 3: can also be split in half depending on target size
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  Speaker 3: for the animal after So this one was a three
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  Speaker 3: meter trap and they're our a meinium, so they are
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  Speaker 3: pretty light. You know, two blows can get away with it. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: four blows will make it easy. Is anything to bring
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  Speaker 3: it from where it was to the location wherever they
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  Speaker 3: park their car.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So I guess.
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  Speaker 3: Need a trailer or a good good size at the
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  Speaker 3: back and will be a bit overhang.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: And so I guess if anybody is out there listening,
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  Speaker 1: if they've seen anything. The best thing to do, I'm
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  Speaker 1: assuming is get in contact with the police on one three, one, triple.
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  Speaker 3: Four most definitely the police and us all us too,
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  Speaker 3: and we can do something about it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, hopefully you're able to, you know, to get
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  Speaker 1: this trap back. Tom How have things been going for
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  Speaker 1: you guys at Parks and Wildlife with the crocodile management.
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  Speaker 1: What have you been out and about doing over the
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  Speaker 1: last couple of weeks.
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  Speaker 3: Well, we've been pretty busy. Actually last week we got
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  Speaker 3: twelve in the day on Harbor. Oh, we just got
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  Speaker 3: back only about ten minutes ago, and we've got a
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  Speaker 3: four meter one in the boat now and also a
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  Speaker 3: two point six. So they're certainly on the move, you know.
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  Speaker 3: They're the humidity building up, breeding season coming on, so
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  Speaker 3: they're certainly on the move.
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  Speaker 1: So Tommy, sorry, did you just say you've got two
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  Speaker 1: right now? One four points five?
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  Speaker 2: Was it?
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  Speaker 3: No? One four meters and the other one is two
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  Speaker 3: point six.
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  Speaker 1: Oh goodness mate, And that's just out of the day
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  Speaker 1: in Harbor this morning.
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  Speaker 3: One was the day on Harbor which is in West
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  Speaker 3: arm YEP and the other one was in the sohol
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  Speaker 3: Bay Held River.
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  Speaker 1: Well, so it is just a reminder for everybody. Those
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  Speaker 1: crocodiles are out there. They're they're everywhere.
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  Speaker 3: Really, most definitely it's always you know, as we always say,
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  Speaker 3: it's timely reminding you of big crop wise. Most of
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  Speaker 3: most of the people you're there are eyes and me.
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  Speaker 3: They let us know when there's crocodiles in traps and
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  Speaker 3: they do sightings and we can keep keep an eye
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  Speaker 3: on those ones or go out as soon as we can.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and just to repeat, did you say twelve in
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  Speaker 1: the Darwin Harbor over the last week as well?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, we did twelve. That's a fairly high number.
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  Speaker 2: It is a high a good size, were they?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, my majority of the three meter bus.
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  Speaker 1: Oh wow, you guys are incredibly busy, and I tell
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  Speaker 1: you what your your morning's been very exciting by the
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  Speaker 1: sounds of it. Tommy, with two of those crocodiles at
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  Speaker 1: the moment, well.
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  Speaker 3: Less, we've got to get another one to go to
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  Speaker 3: pick up shortly one of our mobile traps or whereabouts
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  Speaker 3: is it that's in the rural area?
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  Speaker 2: Goodness, may is that a busy day for you? Three
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  Speaker 2: in one day?
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  Speaker 3: It's we don't always get that, but certainly happened to unusual.
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  Speaker 1: Well, good on you, tom It sounds like you're incredibly busy.
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  Speaker 2: I'll let you go. Thank you so very much for
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  Speaker 2: having a chat with us this morning. Good thanks Tommy.
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  Speaker 1: That's Tommy Nichols there, crocodile with the Crocodile Management Team
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  Speaker 1: for int Parks and Wildlife, and he is a busy
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  Speaker 1: man this morning. So they just picked up, well, they
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  Speaker 1: just picked up two crocodiles this morning, one four meter
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  Speaker 1: crocodile and one two point six meter and then it
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  Speaker 1: looks like they're going out to collect another one today
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  Speaker 1: that's been caught in one of those traps. So three
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  Speaker 1: in one day, twelve over the last week, so a
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  Speaker 1: pretty large number and an opportunity to once again remind
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  Speaker 1: you all to make