Be Crocodile Wise in Australia

Be Crocodile Wise in Australia
by: Jamie Stone

Many people have a lot to learn about the dangers of a saltwater crocodile while visiting northern areas of Australia. Many encounters are unintentional and often the results are devastating if not fatal. People should learn more about the crocodile, where they breed, how to spot for signs of crocodile, their most active periods of the year and general safety when camping near water. The following information is to help people realize the dangers of swimming in northern Australian waters.

Many accidents can be avoided with increased awareness.

It's common name, the Saltwater Crocodile, is also known as the Estuarine Crocodile and 'Saltie'. They are found around the coast of Australia anywhere north of the Tropic of Capricorn and inland for up to 100 kms or more. They are the world's largest reptile and have a closing jaw pressure of around 3000 pounds per square inch.

Saltwater crocodile attacks DO happen in Australia on a regular basis, though the majority of attacks occur mainly on cattle and wildlife. Any stories you hear about these creatures stalking other animals and humans, about their size and their strength is probably NOT exaggerated. Many deaths to people have happened over the years due to them not taking the threat seriously enough and ignoring warning signs.

Always read the "observe crocodile warning signs", these are to be taken seriously! They are erected in that particular area where a crocodile is frequently spotted and could still be living or even breeding in that area. These signs are there to warn the people of the risk and should never be ignored!

Just because you don't see a crocodile doesn't mean it's not there!

Their breeding season is from September to May and the warmer weather makes the cold-blooded animals even faster. Be particularly careful at night! A breeding mother is more aggressive, guarding it's eggs until they hatch. The nests are made from plant matter and mud, and usually found above tide level. Keep this in mind when setting up camp or just exploring the bush.

Avoid places where animals or cattle drink. That's where a crocodile would be waiting for an opportunity to attack. Saltwater crocodiles are very conservative with their energy. They stalk their prey and hide underwater and wait to pounce. A crocodile you can see is less dangerous than one you can't see, so stay well away from the water's edge even if you are camping, fishing or just going for an evening walk.

Crocodiles can launch out of the water; never stand on logs overhanging water and always keep your arms and legs inside a boat when fishing.

No warning signs? DO NOT SWIM no matter how hot or inviting the conditions may be. The "saltie" is mostly found in saltwater, but they are also found in freshwater rivers, billabongs and swamps. Consider swimming in any northern waters dangerous regardless if there is a sign or not!

A crocodile sliding into the water from a river bank will leave a characteristic mark; keep this in mind when setting up camp! Never clean fish at the water's edge or discard fish scraps in the water. Most important if camping always keep the camp site clean and free from food scraps and any smelly fish bait. Remember crocodiles are most active at night, food scraps and fish bait left outside your camp site can invite a hungry crocodile and a shocking midnight scare.

Adult males can reach sizes of up to 6 or 7 metres (20 to 23 feet).

Maximum weight varies, but has been known to exceed 1,000 kg in 18 to 19 foot adults. 5 metre adults are closer to 400 to 500 kg.

One of the largest crocodile ever recorded in Australia was 8 metres 64cm (28ft 4 inches) shot by Krystina Pawloski on the Norman River in North Queensland in 1957. Never torment or provoke a crocodile. They are a protected animal to stop poaching and should always be left alone.

Always remain crocodile wise when traveling to northern parts of Australia and always keep the previous information in mind to avoid any tragedies or loss of life.

Be safe and enjoy your trip!

About The Author
Jamie Stone
jamiestone4870@hotmail.com
Australian Freelance Writer

Steve Irwin: Crocodile Hunter – An Australian Icon

Steve Irwin: Crocodile Hunter – An Australian Icon
by: James Shenton

Occasionally – just occasionally – there comes along a TV personality whose enthusiasm and charisma engenders almost universal affection with audiences. Environmentalist, naturalist and documentarist Steve Irwin – known the world over as the Crocodile Hunter – was one of those rare personalities.

Born Steven Robert Irwin on 22 September, 1962 in Melbourne, Australia, Steve Irwin was the owner and manager of the Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland. The zoo, originally called the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, belonged to his parents, Bob and Lyn.

As a young man Irwin worked as a crocodile trapper in Queensland, catching and removing crocs from populated areas. While he didn’t draw a salary, he worked on the condition that he could keep the crocodiles he captured for his parents’ zoo.

After taking over management of the zoo in 1991 Irwin met his future wife, American-born veterinarian Terri Raines. Following a whirlwind romance the couple married, and the video footage of their crocodile-trapping honeymoon was aired as the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter, the series that made Irwin an international celebrity.

The success of The Crocodile Hunter led the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet to commission several wildlife series from Irwin, including The Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries and New Breed Vets. Known for his expansive personality and boundless enthusiasm, Irwin’s documentaries made him an Australian icon – often ridiculed, but just as often praised for his idiosyncrasies.

What made Irwin such a popular figure with audiences the world over was his fearless attitude to wild animals. Often seen chasing snakes, crocs and all sorts of dangerous creatures, audiences tuned in not so much to see the animals as to see Irwin’s unbelievable feats of courage and fearlessness. His documentaries gained such a huge audience that they were adapted to the 2002 movie The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.

Irwin’s enthusiasm for his subject matter, however, occasionally got the better of him, and his career was fraught with controversy. In an incident in 2004 he took his infant son Bob into the crocodile enclosure during a public show at the Australia Zoo, holding him in one arm while feeding a croc with the other. Irwin, however, refused to apologise for the stunt, insisting that the child was never in any real danger.

Again in 2004 Irwin caused controversy during a trip to Antarctica, facing allegations that he disturbed whales, seals and penguins while filming a documentary.

Irwin’s life came to a tragic end on the morning of September 4th, 2006 while filming an documentary on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland, Australia. While filming a stingray he approached too close and was hit in the chest by a barb, causing a fatal injury, and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 44.

Steve Irwin is survived by his wife Terri and his two young children, Bindi Sue and Robert Clarence.

While Irwin always lived life on the edge, we never really expected him to be killed. There was just something about the confidence with which he handled dangerous creatures that made us think that he was invulnerable. His antics weren’t quite real – if they had been, we may not have been so quick to laugh.

It came as a surprise, then, for us to wake up to the news that he had been killed. Even more so, considering the manner of his death. After all, Irwin was only the third person to be killed by a stingray in Australia. Rays are usually considered to be relatively docile, and it’s even possible to feed them by hand under the right conditions.

Irwin’s death, though tragic, can perhaps be viewed as one final act of showmanship. He won our hearts with his death-defying stunts and it seems fitting that he should go out with a bang. While it would be crass to make light of his death, it could perhaps be argued that this is the way he would have wanted to go, while living right on the edge. Maybe that could come as some small consolation for the family of a man who died before his time.

In life, as well as in death, Steve Irwin was an Australian icon: a modern day, real life Crocodile Dundee. He was everything we think of as typically Australian: rugged, adventurous and dangerous, though not without a sense of humor. While Australians were often embarrassed by his antics, thinking of him as a caricature of Australian stereotypes, that’s exactly why the rest of the world adored him.

Steve Irwin was a passionate advocate for the environment, a tireless promoter of his country, a great entertainer and a loving husband and father. Often controversial, always entertaining, there will always be a place in our hearts for the Crocodile Hunter. The world is poorer for his absence.

About The Author
James Shenton is a popular celebrity gossip writer based in New York.

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