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Speaker 1: We know that a popular waterhole in Mataranka has been

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Speaker 1: closed following a crocodile sighting. The salty was reported swimming

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Speaker 1: around in Bitter Springs south of Catherine. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more

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Speaker 1: about the situation is Catherine Community Engagement Ranger Stacy Kesner.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Stacy.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 2: Stacy.

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Speaker 1: Tell me what is going on out in Bitter Springs

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Speaker 1: with this crocodile sighted.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so the rangers were doing their surveys in the

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Speaker 3: area on Wednesday night and they have cited possibly a

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Speaker 3: two point five salt me to crocodile in the little

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Speaker 3: rope of Creek.

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Speaker 2: Oh goodness me.

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Speaker 1: Have you had I mean, have you been in a

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Speaker 1: situation before where you've seen crocs in that area?

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Speaker 3: No, there's not been a confirmed sighting in that area before,

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Speaker 3: but we know that it is connected to the Roper

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Speaker 3: River and the Waterhouse River, and we know crocs move around,

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Speaker 3: so that's why rangers do their surveys to monitor movements

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Speaker 3: of crocodiles in the area.

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Speaker 2: So just tell us again, how big do you think

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Speaker 2: it might be?

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Speaker 3: There's an estimate of two point five meters.

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Speaker 1: Two point five meters and it is a pretty popular

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Speaker 1: sort of swimming area usually, Isn't it very popular?

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Speaker 3: Obviously, it's a stunning area and visitors enjoy, you know,

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Speaker 3: connecting and swimming in those beautiful natural water holes. But

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Speaker 3: you know, it is surrounded by crop country and that's

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Speaker 3: why ranges work really hard to monitor the movements of

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Speaker 3: crocodiles so people can enjoy the area safely.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know they do a phenomenal job at

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Speaker 1: making sure that all those areas are indeed monitored. Stacey,

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Speaker 1: where are things at in terms of trying to locate

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Speaker 1: this crocodile.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, the ranges of switched up gears and are working

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Speaker 3: hard to capture the crocodile. So there's a couple of

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Speaker 3: techniques they're using, which is trapping, and I think that

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Speaker 3: they'll even possibly move into some harpooning and continue to

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Speaker 3: survey the area.

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Speaker 1: Talk us through how the harpooning works.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it involves ranges in a boat and with a

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Speaker 3: really big stick with a pointy end, and it's normally

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Speaker 3: done at night time it's easier to spot the animals

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Speaker 3: and not with eyes shine, And yeah, they capture the

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Speaker 3: crocodile behind its head, so there's quite a big thick

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Speaker 3: skin area behind it, and then they manually harpoon the

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Speaker 3: animal and capture it that way.

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Speaker 2: You guys are incredible. The word that you do.

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Speaker 1: I tell you what, that sounds scary to most normal

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Speaker 1: territories listening this morning.

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Speaker 3: It's not a boring job.

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Speaker 1: Definitely not so, Stacy, you'll go down, like potentially go

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Speaker 1: down that path of the heart ourning only if you're

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Speaker 1: not able to catch it with sort of the conventional traps.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, you know, we'll work hard to remove the animal

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Speaker 3: and then do surveys after the animals removed so that

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Speaker 3: we can open up the area for swimming again.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to ask that what sort of

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Speaker 1: happens once it is removed? Are there more surveys done

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Speaker 1: before you actually reopen the area?

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Safety, public safety is our number one as rangers, So

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Speaker 3: we will be doing day surveys, night surveys using GoPros

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Speaker 3: in the water to make sure that that area is

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Speaker 3: clear of saltwater crocodiles.

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Speaker 1: We know that there's plenty of tourists in town at

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Speaker 1: the moment as well. I guess for most of us territories,

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Speaker 1: we sort of you know, we understand the risks associated

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Speaker 1: with swimming in different areas. We know that pretty well

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Speaker 1: everywhere is cross country, But is there a concern I

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Speaker 1: suppose in terms of making sure that tourists are indeed

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Speaker 1: aware of the potential risks.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, there's lots of signage, especially now that we've clothed,

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Speaker 3: which we have found unfortunately people haven't been following. There's

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Speaker 3: a heightened risk of you know, with the saltwater crocodile

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Speaker 3: being in that area and impacting on people injury and

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Speaker 3: death being that size animal. So it's really important people

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Speaker 3: follow the signage and then buy from rangers and they

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Speaker 3: stay away from that area. Also so that there's a

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Speaker 3: limit to the noise in the area too, so that

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Speaker 3: we can get in and do our job quickly.

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Speaker 1: I know, it's a busy time of the year. It's

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Speaker 1: obviously beautiful weather out there. It is the school holidays.

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Speaker 1: Have you had a lot of people heading out there

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Speaker 1: to Bitter Springs in the recent days and weeks before

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Speaker 1: this crocodile is sighting.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean it's July. It's buzzing down there. They

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Speaker 3: have high visitation in those beautiful areas, and the thermal

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Speaker 3: pools are still open, so people can go in there

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Speaker 3: and enjoy the thermal pools and also other parts of

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Speaker 3: Elsie National Park and we appreciate it is disappointing that

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Speaker 3: they can't go into Bitter but obviously it's for their

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Speaker 3: safety and we appreciate everyone understanding that.

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Speaker 1: And what is your message this morning, Stacey for anybody

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Speaker 1: out there listening who might have been thinking that they

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Speaker 1: were going to head to Bitter Springs, Obviously avoid that area,

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Speaker 1: but so just repeat for us those other areas where

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Speaker 1: they could still potentially go.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, there's plenty of beautiful places to visit in Elsa

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Speaker 3: surrounding Bitter Springs that you can go to. There's parts

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Speaker 3: of Elsa that are closed because there are saltwater crocodiles

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Speaker 3: in the area in the Waterhouse River. So just there's

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Speaker 3: lots of signage around that people can educate on how

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Speaker 3: to say safe on park. But the thermal pools are

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Speaker 3: still open for swimming, so if they're looking to go

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Speaker 3: and enjoy a swim, head there instead.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and you mentioned before that some people not taking

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Speaker 1: note of that signage. It is so incredibly important, isn't

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Speaker 1: it to make sure that you do actually take note

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Speaker 1: of that signage. I mean, you guys aren't popping those

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Speaker 1: signs up for fun. It's literally a situation here where

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Speaker 1: we have got a crocodile or at least a crocodile

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Speaker 1: sighting at Bitter Springs.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, yep. We want people to stay safe on park

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Speaker 3: and that means that they do not enter those waterways

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Speaker 3: in the Little Roper and in Bitter Springs.

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Speaker 1: Well, Stacy Kesner, the Catherine Community Engagement Ranger, sounds like.

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Speaker 2: It's busy busy for you guys.

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Speaker 1: Is there heaps of tourists around the Catherine area at

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Speaker 1: the moment.

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Speaker 3: Lots of tourists, lots and lots, which is great to

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Speaker 3: see it.

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Speaker 2: It truly is.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning. Good

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Speaker 1: to speak to you, and good luck with that crocodile.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, Thanks Katie, thank you