General News
17 June, 2025
Croc gets removed as debate heats up
A LARGE saltwater crocodile was caught and removed from a farm drain near Two Mile Creek in Biboohra last Tuesday.
The Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) said wildlife rangers “humanely euthanised” the animal that was targeted for removal after it was found in Zone F, or atypical habitat, under the Queensland Crocodile Management Plan.
The department’s director of northern wildlife operations Lindsay Delzoppo said rangers had located the crocodile on the property after multiple reports from the community, with the latest being on 6 June.
“By removing the crocodile, we have prioritised community safety, and we thank the people who submitted crocodile sighting reports,” he said.
“We encourage anyone who sees what they believe to be a crocodile to report it to the department in a timely manner, all reports will be investigated.”
The department claims action was taken following the recent sighting report, but in previous correspondence with The Express, it said that it had received reports of a large saltwater crocodile in a farm dam near Biboohra in January this year, but they failed to capture it several times.
Local farmer George Adil, who recently launched a petition advocating for more action to remove saltwater crocodiles from the local area, said it was “disappointing” that it took six months for the department to act, given they were aware of its presence.
“It’s disappointing that it’s taken so long, and that it’s taken a media storm on crocodiles and the crocodile management plan being discussed in parliament to galvanise these people into action,” he said
“It seems like a real coincidence, doesn’t it?”
At a public hearing last week, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) leader Robbie Katter said the current laws on managing crocodiles were ineffective.
The hearing discussed Member for Hill Shane Knuth’s Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill, which would allow for more action to be taken on problem crocodiles and would establish an authority based in Cairns responsible for crocodile management.
“I’m privy to multiple occasions where the department’s been either ineffective, slow, or has just completely failed to act on these removals,” Mr Katter said.
“All the politicians who are about to revote on the KAP Bill are saying there’s already measures in place to remove crocs, and they believe that it’s all effective, but it’s not.
“By introducing the Bill, we’re trying to avoid what seems to be ideological constraints that constrain most of the government departments.
“At the hearing we addressed criticism about the Bill, the majority of which is coming from people who live in southern Queensland.
“The most significant is from the celebrity zookeepers on the Sunshine Coast (Terri and Robert Irwin Snr) that seem to be the authority on how we live with crocodiles, which is just farcical.
“We made the point that we’re no experts with crocodiles, but we are experts in talking to people from north Queensland who live with crocodiles and what it means to them to have safe waterways to use.”
Also speaking at the hearing was an Indigenous leader from the lower Gulf of Carpentaria area who called for a crocodile cull on their land due to population numbers increasing.
Crocodile sightings can be reported by completing a crocodile sighting report on the DETSI website, or by calling 1300 130 372.
To sign Mr Adil’s e-petition, visit www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=4259.
