(Transcript from World News Radio)
Debate over safari-style hunting of crocodiles in Australia's Top End is back in the spotlight after the federal government rejected a push by the Northern Territory to allow it.
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt recently rejected the move, citing a risk of cruel and inhumane treatment.
The Territory Government thinks that's "a croc."
So who would want to hunt a crocodile?
And would the method used to kill a croc make a difference?
Brianna Roberts reports.
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"As a professional hunter, I know where a bullet needs to be placed to quickly kill an animal, and, with a crocodile, it's also very important to know the anatomy of that animal and what that animal is going to do before he does it."
That is professional hunter Nathan Askew talking about hunting crocodiles on safaris in Africa.
Now, the Northern Territory government says bringing these types of safaris to Australia would create jobs and boost the economy in the Top End.
The Humane Society's Alexia Wellbelove says it is time the Territory government stopped pushing the issue.
"This proposal's come up every two or three years for the past 20 years, and, each time, the federal government's rejected it. We really hoped that, by now, the Northern Territory government would stop wasting their time and resources on this proposal and think about something a bit more modern."
Under the Territory's current Crocodile Management Plan, up to 500 crocodiles can be killed per year, if they are deemed a threat to humans.
The Territory government wants to let big-game hunters kill 50 of those.
Ms Wellbelove believes there is a difference between culling, usually done at close-quarters, and safari-style hunting.
"It's very hard to kill a crocodile. They've got a small brain relative to the size of their body, which means that a clean, lethal shot is actually very hard, particularly (because,) if they hear the shot, they'll race into the water. So, it's very likely that animals shot would suffer a long, painful death, and we don't think that that's an appropriate thing to be approving in this modern day."
Darwin-based crocodile scientist Graeme Webb disagrees.
Professor Webb, who runs Crocodylus Park in Darwin, believes politicians in Canberra are out of touch with the reality of life in the Top End.
"Well, hunting is as old as humanity. Thirty-one per cent of the people in the Northern Territory are Aboriginal, people who are hunter-gatherers, so the average attitude toward hunting here is a bit different to the attitude of some of the cities, I guess ... I can't see why we have to bend all our rules to fit in with what happens in Canberra, where their biggest problem is magpies. You know, like I'd like to see Lake Burley Griffin with 20 or 30 crocs snaffling some of the people jogging round the outside and let them be philosophical about how they're going to handle it."
Professor Webb says the situation with the great white sharks in Western Australia is comparable with the Territory's crocodile issue.
He says it shows, if conservation succeeds, there has to be a plan to handle the situation for human beings once the numbers increase.
He says people are not going to sit around and be eaten.
Nathan Askew, an American professional hunter who runs crocodile-hunting safaris in Africa, believes there would be a lucrative market for such safaris in Australia.
"It is a desirable species to hunt. It's an exciting hunt. Everybody likes to be around water. They're a fairly primitive animal, yet they have some very intelligent things about them and some fine-tuned senses that make it a nice animal to hunt. Like a lot of predatory animals, they have a mystique of being dangerous, of being ... ah, there's lots of myths around predatory animals. You know, crocodiles, sharks, lions, tigers ... These things are just an interesting animal, mainly because ... you know, it wasn't long ago that humans were part of the food chain itself, so you take an apex predator and it is an interesting animal."
However, Mr Askew believes hunting is about more than a power battle of man versus beast.
"A lot of the non-hunting, or anti-hunting, community would like to put (forward) the stereotype of the rich, fat American who is bored and just wants to shoot his gun. That would be absolutely incorrect. I deal with everybody from professional people and successful businessmen -- you know, doctors, the CEOs of companies -- I deal with hourly paid people who save their money to go and do a big trip like this ... men, women hunters, young kids, teenagers, basically who anybody who enjoys the outdoors and has an open mind."
Mr Askew says he does not believe hunting crocodiles for trophies is any less humane than culling them for safety or population control.
But he argues hunting can play an important role in the conservation of a species.
"We, as humans, have chopped up this world into little blocks, and we've cut down trees and we've built roads, and then we went back and replanted trees, and it's our responsibility, due to our overpopulation and abuse of a lot of this world ... it's kind of a weird thing (when) you think about (having) to kill something to save it, but that's exactly what it is. We're the custodians of this earth, and managing populations of animals in the most effective way, which, a lot of times, boils down to the most financially viable way, is our responsibility."
But conservationist Bob Irwin strongly disagrees.
"That is an absolute load of rubbish. You know, because nature is an amazing thing. It takes care of the whole of the ecosystem. And if there's an instance where there's too many crocodiles in one river system, nature will take care of that. We don't really need to interfere."
Mr Irwin says Australia should project itself to the world as a country that nurtures its wildlife.
He urges the Northern Territory government to focus on ecotourism, like wildlife tours and cruises.
He says this has the potential to create more jobs and benefit more people.
"As humans are the greatest predators on the planet, I don't think we have a right to interfere. As long as there's no risk to people, I think these animals should be left alone."
