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Speaker 1: Was joining me on the line.

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Speaker 2: Right now is Ian Hunt, the wildlife manager with Parks

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Speaker 2: and Wildlife.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Ian.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. How are you going?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 1: Pretty good?

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Speaker 2: Ian. Front page of the paper today a couple of

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Speaker 2: crocodiles actually in some areas where well there's plenty of

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Speaker 2: people around, one in Nightcliff and one down there at

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Speaker 2: Mindle Beach.

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Speaker 3: Yeah that's right. Yeah. We had a call on Saturday

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Speaker 3: morning to let us know that we had a one

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Speaker 3: point seven meter crocodile caught in that trap that we

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Speaker 3: sat down there at Little Mindle Creek. So we were

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Speaker 3: called to remove that animal, and then later on we

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Speaker 3: were informed that there's been an animal sited at Nightcliff

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Speaker 3: Beach there on the foreshore.

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Speaker 1: Oh, a Nightcliff. I know that.

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Speaker 2: You know, you're always encouraging people to be crock wise,

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Speaker 2: but Nightcliff is sort of one of those areas where

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Speaker 2: you do quite often see people around the water, and

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Speaker 2: I know in that photo that's on the front page

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Speaker 2: there is someone paddleboarding not too far away.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right. Yeah, we keep reminding people, Katie that

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Speaker 3: crocodiles along the foreshore a long night, but there it's

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Speaker 3: not an unusual event, it does happen, and people do

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Speaker 3: need to be crock wise this time of year, temorages

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Speaker 3: are warming up, there's a lot more rain around, and

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Speaker 3: crops are going to be moving around a lot more,

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Speaker 3: so everyone needs to be extra vigilant and look after

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Speaker 3: themselves well.

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Speaker 2: And it's not that long ago that we were talking

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Speaker 2: on here as well about the situation with the dog

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Speaker 2: there at the Dripstone Cliffs.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, there's been a couple of instances over the last

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Speaker 3: few weeks of people with pets dogs actually being attracted

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Speaker 3: by the crocodiles. Crocodiles come in to see the dogs

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Speaker 3: and there's been a few close calls. So again it's

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Speaker 3: the time the reminder if you're down the beach, any waterways, fishing,

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Speaker 3: or just using the waterways recreationally, you know, be careful,

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Speaker 3: look after yourselves, kids and your pet.

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Speaker 2: Ian. Has it been a busy year for you guys

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Speaker 2: or are those crocodile numbers sort of pretty similar to

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Speaker 2: what you see each and every year.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a pretty average year. We're a little bit

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Speaker 3: higher than the numbers we've got the last couple of years,

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Speaker 3: but we're I think sitting at about two hundred and seventy

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Speaker 3: crocodiles captured this year around the Darwin region. So that's

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Speaker 3: pretty average for us.

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Speaker 2: And I mean it's the size of them pretty normal

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Speaker 2: as well. Or are you seeing biggest sort of crocodiles

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Speaker 2: closer to those areas where people are sort of pretty

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Speaker 2: regularly frequenting.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's remained pretty ridge for us. We've we've bought

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Speaker 3: out some big crocodiles out of the harbor. I think

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Speaker 3: the biggest one this year was to say, before and

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Speaker 3: a half meters And we're catching crocodiles of all sizes

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Speaker 3: from one and a half meters upwards. So yeahs I're

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Speaker 3: moving around and we find them in all of our

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Speaker 3: creeks and waterways.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you certainly do. And I know that you guys

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Speaker 2: are always very busy. You've always got those traps out

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Speaker 2: and about, don't you.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, we were trapping three hundred and sixty five

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Speaker 3: days a year, trying to keep the public safe and

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Speaker 3: responding to all the callouts that we receive.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and what about with those dogs.

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Speaker 2: With those dogs where there's been the close calls, goodness,

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Speaker 2: met a couple of them have been like really close,

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Speaker 2: haven't they.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right. We removed an animal crocodile yesterday from

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Speaker 3: creek just out of the back of Parmerston at Mitchell Creek.

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Speaker 2: There.

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Speaker 3: We were alerted to that one by a member of

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Speaker 3: the public who was take their dog for a walk

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Speaker 3: along that creek line and the croc actually came out

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Speaker 3: and had to go at their dog while they were

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Speaker 3: walking it. Luckily, we were able to get down there

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Speaker 3: and remove that animal within a timely fashion.

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Speaker 1: Oh holy moly, where was that Mitchell Creek.

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Speaker 3: That's Mitchell Creek just behind Palmers and there on roast

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Speaker 3: Onia Avenue.

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Speaker 1: Oh was it a very big crocodile that one or

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Speaker 1: a smaller one that.

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Speaker 3: Was about two meters when we got to the measure

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Speaker 3: taclay far out.

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Speaker 2: Still pretty worrying, isn't it. If they do get ahold

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Speaker 2: of your dog.

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Speaker 1: That's for sure.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely. That's why we're just letting everybody know. So crops

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Speaker 3: can and are in every waterway to just be extra Richmond,

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Speaker 3: be careful. We're trying to do as much as we

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Speaker 3: can to reduce the risk, but people have to take

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Speaker 3: responsibility for their actions and make sure that they keep

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Speaker 3: themselves safe.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that is bloody good advice.

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Speaker 2: Hey, before I let you go, I know that obviously

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Speaker 2: it is the time of the year where we expect

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Speaker 2: quite a bit of rain. We are, you know, like

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Speaker 2: even outside now it's very overcast. We had a huge

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Speaker 2: downpour on Monday. Does the movement of those crocodiles get

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Speaker 2: impacted in any way by the weather?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, obviously the more water we have around, the more

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Speaker 3: culverts and creeks are flooded, and the more crops can

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Speaker 3: move around, and the more course if you receive to

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Speaker 3: let us know that crops are being found in areas

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Speaker 3: that they aren't during the dry season. But yeah, being

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Speaker 3: crop wise is something that needs to happen all year round,

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Speaker 3: not just during the wet season.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, most certainly does well. Ian, I really appreciate your

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Speaker 2: time this morning. I really appreciate all the time that

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Speaker 2: you've given us all throughout the year as well, you

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Speaker 2: and the crocodile management team mate, thank you very much.

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Speaker 2: I hope that you have a great Christmas.

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Speaker 3: No, thank you, Katie, thanks for your time, and have

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Speaker 3: a very merry Christmas. In a happy twenty twenty two.

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Speaker 1: Yeah you too.

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Speaker 2: Let's hope it's better than the last couple of years

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Speaker 2: that we've had with COVID.

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Speaker 3: Thanks Ian, that's so so funny.

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Speaker 1: Thank you,