As Longqi says the crocs are being culled by Indigenous communities when they move into areas used by families and by Pastoralists when when they eat cattle. As trophy hunters will pay tens of thousands to shoot these animals (which are going to be shot anyway), I believe that controlled safari hunting with the proceeds going towards, for example, local Ranger groups (and therefor to control of feral animal and weed species) makes far more sense than simply wasting this resource.
Make no mistake, I think trophy hunters are clowns, however, I know how much good work by Indigenous Ranger groups goes unrecognised and, under the current state and federal governments, unfunded. It seems every week the funding for Rangers and the environmental projects they collaborate on are diminished or removed altogether.
Last time this hunting was proposed to a Liberal minister he took advice from Steve Irwin without speaking to anyone at all in the Territory, never mind the principal stakeholders like Pastoralists and Indigenous Communities. I suspect the same thing has happened again. (added to the bleating of so called animal rights groups).
As a pragmatist I believe A) the culling will continue, and so it should B) the significant value adding by letting a hunter/clown shoot the beast could have a significant positive outcome for the local environment.
Steve
