General News
11 June, 2025
Authorities on the hunt for saltie
DRONES will be used in Biboohra this month to hunt down a rogue saltwater crocodile that slipped through the grips of authorities earlier this year.
The hunt for the crocodile comes as Mareeba Shire Council will put its case to the State Government for more action in removing the animals at a public hearing this week.
Reports of a large saltwater crocodile in a farm dam near Biboohra were confirmed by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation (DETSI) in January this year.
The area the crocodile was found in falls within Zone F under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan, meaning it has to be removed, regardless of its size or behaviour.
However, after “several” failed attempts to capture the estimated 3.5-metre animal, the department believes it moved on from the dam and into Two Mile Creek, prompting a decision to carry out drone surveys to try and locate it.
But farmers are aware there are more of the animals in the Barron River and also reportedly in other dams on rural properties.
Describing the presence of saltwater crocodiles in local waterways and farm dams as “posing a significant threat to human safety”, Mareeba Shire Deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt will be pleading for more action to the Crocodile Conservation and Control Bill public hearing this Wednesday.
She will call for more resources to remove the animals that were “never part of Mareeba Shire’s natural ecosystem”.
“Mareeba Shire Council continues to advocate to expand the Zone F classification in our shire, particularly for the Barron River catchment, above Din Din (Barron River) Falls,” she said.
“I would like to advocate that DETSI allocate more resources to removing saltwater crocodiles out of Zone F areas as they pose a significant threat to human safety, productivity and wellbeing of our agricultural community.
“Crocodile management in Mareeba Shire is not about fear, it is about fairness and safety. We are not asking for crocodile eradication, but for a more responsive and place-based approach to crocodile control that protects both people and the agricultural industry.”
It’s also been a year since Mareeba Mayor Angela Toppin sent a letter to the then Minister for Environment asking the government to expand Zone F to include the Barron River catchment.
She said the “probability” of saltwater crocodiles travelling from the Lake Mitchell area into the Barron River “posed a very real threat”.
“While it is acknowledged that there have been no official sightings, there have been numerous reports by community members of sightings of saltwater crocodiles in this area of the Barron catchment.
“Given the high use of the Barron River for agricultural, domestic and recreational purposes, this area is one where we would strongly recommend and request for the immediate removal of saltwater crocodiles.”
In a response to The Express Newspaper, the department dismissed claims of saltwater crocodiles being in the Barron River around Mareeba, saying their “extensive aerial surveys” had so far not detected any of the animals in the area.
They acknowledged there had been four crocodile sighting reports in the Mareeba Shire since the beginning of the year, with two being confirmed as freshwater crocs.
“The last confirmed (saltwater) crocodile sighting in Mareeba Shire was on 23 January 2025 and the most recent sighting report received from a landholder was on 6 May 2025,” a spokesperson said.
“Since 2017, we have removed four estuarine crocodiles from the Mareeba Shire, and in 2025, we have conducted 17 crocodile site assessments in the Mareeba Shire. The department investigates every crocodile sighting report received.”
Reports can be made via the QWildlife app, on the DETSI website, or by calling 1300 130 372.
Local farmers have long known about the presence of saltwater crocodiles in Lake Mitchell and its nearby waterways.
After “losing patience” due to years of inaction from government, local cane farmer George Adil recently launched a petition to have more areas of the Mareeba Shire included in Zone F.
The petition has been signed by more than 700 people to date. Mr Adil plans to submit the petition to the department before it makes a final decision on the current draft of the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan.
Sign the petition
The petition forms can be found at Casali’s Mareeba, Claude Caters Mensland, PIMS (Pumping, Irrigation and Machinery Services), The Express Newspaper, and the Biboohra service station.
