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Speaker 1: Let's find out what the goal is with this crocodile

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Speaker 1: right now, because joining me on the line is wildlife

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Speaker 1: ranger Ian Hunt. Good morning to you, Ian.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, and good morning to your listening Ian.

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Speaker 1: I understand that there has been quite a large crocodile

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Speaker 1: in the Cullen Bay area. Is that correct?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's correct. We received a call yesterday lunchtimes for

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Speaker 2: a format that there'd been a crocodile sided very close

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Speaker 2: to the beach at the Culum Bay area there. We

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Speaker 2: responded and saw it was actually a crocodile in that area.

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Speaker 2: We re cited swimming out to sea, but we did

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Speaker 2: actually return yesterday evening and remove that animal because you'd

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Speaker 2: come back in very close to the shore.

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Speaker 1: Oh goodness, may So when did you when did you

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Speaker 1: manage to remove him?

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Speaker 2: Yesterday evening about seven thirty that animal was removed from

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Speaker 2: the area.

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Speaker 1: And how big was he?

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Speaker 2: I think his full measurement was two point ninety five,

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Speaker 2: so just under three meters.

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Speaker 1: Okay, And so what he was just swimming around there

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Speaker 1: at Culhuenbar.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, he was sitting just offshore. I think the smell

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Speaker 2: of the fish and chips there and the fact that

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Speaker 2: people are walking their dogs along the foreshore. It's a

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Speaker 2: bit too much for him to resist.

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Speaker 1: Bloody frightening that he's like there and that is such

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Speaker 1: a busy area.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, it's very busy. When we were down there this evening,

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Speaker 2: there would have been a few hundred people all along

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Speaker 2: the beach there with potentially a very large crocodile very

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Speaker 2: close to them.

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Speaker 1: Oh goodness, meet, I'm looking at some of the photos

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Speaker 1: that have been published on the NT news and he

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Speaker 1: like he is literally right there on the you know,

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Speaker 1: like on the beach.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's correct. Yeah, he was actually very close to

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Speaker 2: attacking somebody's dog yesterday afternoon. I believe so very lucky

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Speaker 2: that we were able to remove him before an incident occurred.

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Speaker 1: Oh holy moly, I reckon. You guys do a phenomenal

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Speaker 1: job with the you know, with removing those crocodiles, particularly

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Speaker 1: when they are in those areas that are highly populated.

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Speaker 1: How has it been going over recent months in.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, we we're still very busy. We're get lots

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Speaker 2: of phone calls and lots of reports of crocodiles around.

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Speaker 2: So even with the cool little temperatures, crops still on

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Speaker 2: the move and even quite large crocodiles are still being found.

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Speaker 2: We're doing our best to respond as quickly as we

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Speaker 2: can and remove as many as we can out of

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Speaker 2: the management area to keep everybody safe as possible.

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Speaker 1: Does that colder weather or I know it's not cold

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Speaker 1: in many people some standards, but does that cooler weather

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Speaker 1: tend to slim down a bit? Usually we do.

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Speaker 2: See lesser numbers being caught around at this time of year.

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Speaker 2: Either that's due to the fact that they're not eating

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Speaker 2: as much so they're not as likely to turn up

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Speaker 2: in our traps, or maybe just due to the fact

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Speaker 2: that there's not as much water coming out of the

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Speaker 2: creeks and rivers. Obviously with the dry season, there's not

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Speaker 2: as much rain around, so those crops aren't moving around

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Speaker 2: the rivers and creeks into the ocean as much necessarily.

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Speaker 2: But we still remove quite a number of crocodiles through

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Speaker 2: the dry season, but it definitely increases during the build

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Speaker 2: up and wet And then with this.

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Speaker 1: One that was at Cullum Bay, have you had to

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Speaker 1: remove many of them from that area before?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, as we say, like that area along Cullumbay and

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Speaker 2: even Fanny Bay and around in Casarina. That's a bit

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Speaker 2: of a highway for crocodiles to move around and get

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Speaker 2: into the harbor, so we quite often have sidings along

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Speaker 2: those areas. Normally, CrOx are just moving along into other areas,

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Speaker 2: so they might only be cited for ten or fifteen

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Speaker 2: minutes while they're cruising along. But this particular animal decided

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Speaker 2: that he was going to stay around for at least

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Speaker 2: a few hours. He was for most of yesterday until

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Speaker 2: we removed him, so he might have stayed for a

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Speaker 2: little while long there. We haven't got there well.

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Speaker 1: And the thing that I'm thinking to myself as you

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Speaker 1: and I are discussing this, and I'm looking at this

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Speaker 1: photo that has been posted on the nt news website.

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Speaker 1: You know, quite often, like when you take the kids

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Speaker 1: there four fish and chips at Culum Bay, it's not

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Speaker 1: unusual to see kids just sort of dipping their feet

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Speaker 1: into that area. So it's a bit of a warning

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Speaker 1: for everybody, isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely When we responded your afternoon, there was two people

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Speaker 2: swimming up to chest beet water only maybe fifty sixty

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Speaker 2: meters away from where the crocodile was. They had no

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Speaker 2: idea that the animal was there. They did obviously immediately

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Speaker 2: get out of the water when they were told, but yeah,

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Speaker 2: a wake up call for people, just to remind them that, yeah,

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Speaker 2: the territory is crocodile territory and they can be in

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Speaker 2: all of our waterways.

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Speaker 1: Oh my goodness. And what was every action when you

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Speaker 1: then ended up pulling the crocodile out and they'd been

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Speaker 1: in the water.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they were very surprised. I don't think they had

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Speaker 2: any idea that there was potentially crocodiles in the area.

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Speaker 2: And actually when you point one out to them, it

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Speaker 2: does come at a bit of a shock.

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Speaker 1: I think, oh, mate, that is scary stuff. I would

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Speaker 1: be well, I won't say what I would usually say

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Speaker 1: if I was off the radio, but I'd be quite frightened,

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Speaker 1: I reckon to say the least.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you came as a shock, mate.

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Speaker 1: I really appreciate your time this morning. I know that

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Speaker 1: you guys are very busy, so we appreciate you having

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Speaker 1: your talk with us and letting us know that that

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Speaker 1: crocodile has been captured. And I think that a lot

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Speaker 1: of people are going to be pleased to hear that.

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Speaker 1: But as you've said, a big reminder that there are

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Speaker 1: still plenty of crocodiles in our waterways.

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Speaker 2: That's it. Thank you Katie and thanks for the time

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Speaker 2: talking to us. We really appreciate it.

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Speaker 1: No worries at all. Thanks Am. We'll talk to you

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Speaker 1: again so