Right: fast food: a fisherman has a narrow escape in northern Australia as a crocodile lunges over the stern of a small boat.
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Arguments against crocodile safaris in the Northern Territory
1. The safari hunting of crocodiles is likely to result in cruelty to these animals
There are a number of groups, including animal welfare lobbyists, who are concerned that the crocodiles hunted as trophies would not be killed humanely.
The Australian Wildlife Protection Council has stated, 'If the NT crocodile safari plan goes ahead, the lives of 50 saltwater crocodiles would basically be sold to the highest bidder for "thrill kills", every year.
By allowing amateur hunters to slaughter crocs - there is a very real risk that crocs will be maimed and suffer terribly before dying. This is a cruel fate for these magnificent reptiles that - like any other animal - can experience joy, fear and suffering. There are genuine reports of crocs at Kakadu National Park being baited and trapped by hooks, and left for many hours so "safari" hunters can shoot them! Crocs might not be the cutest or cuddliest of animals, but they don't deserve to be injured and killed for kicks.'
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said the animal-welfare organisation had a long-standing opposition to crocodile safari hunting. The spokesperson stated, '[There is] potential for cruelty and the extreme difficulty in enforcing animal welfare legislation in remote areas.'
The spokesperson further noted, 'RSPCA believes that any wildlife management program must be humane, justified, supported by scientific evidence and have clearly stated aims.
Safari hunting proposals fail to meet any of these requirements: there is no conservation benefit to be derived from safari hunting; it does not provide a means of controlling problem crocodiles; and animal welfare standards cannot be guaranteed.'
Many animal welfare groups have expressed concern that animal welfare standards will not be effectively monitored.
In June 2012, the Humane Society International (HIS) noted, 'The proposed means by which to address welfare concerns are impractical and unenforceable, especially as it is proposed that only between 10 and 20% of hunts will be accompanied by NT Parks staff in the first year of operation, with monitoring potentially decreasing thereafter.
It is therefore inevitable that without monitoring considerable cruelty will occur, which is no basis for a modern commercial enterprise.'
In 2014, when rejecting a similar proposal, the federal Environment Minister, Greg Hunt, stated, 'My view is that there was a risk of cruel and inhumane treatment, which was, in my view, inappropriate.
There have been a series of ministers, both on the Coalition side and on the other side, that have periodically rejected this.'
2. Allowing safari hunting in Australia would be inconsistent with this country's opposition to the practice internationally
On March 13, 2015, it was announced that the federal government banning the import and export of hunting 'trophies' made from the body parts of lions, in an attempt to help curb the organised hunting of Africa's wildlife.
Greg Hunt, the federal Environment Minister, announced he had signed an order to prevent the import of the gruesome hunting trophies, effective immediately.
The trophies are often derived from an artificial type of slaughter, mostly taking place in South Africa, called 'canned' hunting. Captive-bred lions are put into enclosures where tourists pay thousands of dollars to shoot them with guns or crossbows.
In response to anger within the National Party that it had not been consulted before this action was taken, the Coalition appears to have reached a consensus that would allow safari-hunting of crocodiles within the Northern Territory.
Critics of the crocodile hunting proposal have argued that the action makes a nonsense of Australia's stance against 'canned' hunting. They claim it is inconsistent to support safari hunting at home, while attempting to limit it overseas.
Humane Society International (HIS) director, Michael Kennedy, has stated, 'A fortnight ago, HSI applauded the Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt's announcement that imports and exports of lion trophies from canned hunting operations would be banned. Coming off the back of such a principled stance, this deal struck by the Nationals and excluding the Environment Minister is cynical and out of touch with Australians' views on trophy hunting.'
Mr Kennedy added, 'With the recent ban on the importation of lion trophies from canned hunting, Australia has established itself as an international leader in the conservation of species subject to hunting. This announcement contradicts our international image and stance.'
Critics claim that actions such as the approval of safari-hunting of crocodiles in the Northern Territory dramatically undermine Australia's international standing as an environmentally-aware nation and leave Australia open to accusations that it appeals one standard within its own borders and another when judging the actions of its international neighbours. This accusation has already been made in relation to Australia's criticism of Japan's whale hunting.
3. Allowing crocodile safari hunting could harm environmental tourism
Eco-tourism has been highly successful in the Northern Territory. International tourists predominate among those tourists who visit areas outside Darwin.
Tourism research data supplied by the 2011 Destination Visitor Survey for the Northern Territory indicates that those travelling further afield in the region tended to be older and / or do not have children. Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks were the primary drawcards outside Darwin, with Litchfield most likely to be visited in a day trip, while Kakadu was often explored via an overnight visit. 66 percent of those planning to stay in the Northern Territory for a longer period intended to visit Kakadu National Park.
Seeing wildlife (specifically crocodiles) and landscapes were key motivators for travelling further afield in the Top End. 60 percent of those planning to stay for a longer period specified wanting to see the crocodiles as a motivation. One of the visitor observations quoted is 'Kakadu, beautiful waterfalls and wildlife in its natural habitat.'
Eco-tourism in the Northern Territory has made a feature of bringing tourists in close proximity to crocodiles. Just under an hour's drive from Darwin, at the Adelaide River, a number of cruises operate, all specialising in luring Saltwater Crocodiles out of the water.
Crocodiles naturally jump from the water to catch food. Chunks of meat are dangled off the side of the boats, which are open, and the crocodiles often get so close that tourists feel the spray of water as the animals jump. Such experiences are said to be undermined by promoting tourism that centres on hunting and killing these animals.
Wildlife campaigner, Bob Irwin, has stated, 'Can you imagine a boatload of tourists seeing some big white hunter shooting an animal that they came to photograph?'
Terri Irwin, the widow of former TV personality Steve Irwin, said she supported the ban on crocodile hunting. Mrs Irwin stated, 'Trophy hunting has been demonstrated to fail everywhere it exists, depleting wildlife numbers legally, as well as increasing illegal poaching.'
4. Crocodile safaris would offer few benefits to Indigenous communities
It has been claimed that the employment benefits from crocodile safaris have been exaggerated.
Bob Irwin, father of the late 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin has queried, 'How many people does it take to kill a crocodile? Two, at the most. Why not encourage tourists to go out on safari with a camera rather than a gun? There's a lot more financial benefit to be had from live crocodiles.'
The same point has been made by Alexia Wellbelove, a spokesperson for Humane Society International. Ms Wellbelove has claimed there are no significant economic benefits for Indigenous communities and a real risk of destroying other tourism brands.
Ms Wellbelove stated, '(It) rewards very few or benefits very few people.
We believe very strongly that there is far more potential in the remote areas of the Top End in ecotourism than there are for elitist safari hunting activities.'
Eco-tourism Australia has also expressed its opposition to the hunting proposal. This view has been put by a spokesperson for Eco-tourism Australia, Kym Cheatham. Ms Cheatham has indicated that the group does not believe that killing animals for entertainment will attract visitors or that crocodile hunting will be a sustainable new industry for Indigenous communities.
Ms Cheatham has stated, 'While there may be a perception that it can bring some economic benefits to Indigenous communities, we believe there are other ways that a government can actually build Indigenous tourism in the communities and provide that economic impact without resorting to the killing of animals for entertainment.'
5. Crocodile safari hunting would not promote human safety
Concern has been expressed that removing 50 large crocodiles a year might unbalance crocodile populations and make them more dangerous to human beings.
Bob Irwin, father of the late 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, has stated, 'They're proposing to take out 50 really big adult alpha males, but these are the ones that control the river system and keep the younger crocs in check.
If you remove them, those younger crocs, which are still quite large, will start fighting among themselves, like angry teenagers. They'll be testing their predatory skills, and I'm concerned about what may happen.'
Irwin has also argued that crocodile numbers, if not distorted by hunting, will regulate themselves through natural processes. Irwin has stated, '[N]ature is an amazing thing. It takes care of the whole of the ecosystem. And if there's an instance where there's too many crocodiles in one river system, nature will take care of that. We don't really need to interfere. As humans are the greatest predators on the planet, I don't think we have a right to interfere. As long as there's no risk to people, I think these animals should be left alone.'
The safaris have been explicitly not linked to the crocodile culling programs which occur each year to keep Saltwater Crocodiles out of the Darwin area and to remove 'problem' crocodiles from more remote areas. Therefore, as the Humane Society International(HIS) has stated, 'This is not intended as a means of controlling nuisance crocodiles, but a means by which to attract money from tourists wishing to obtain trophies from their hunting expeditions.'