Image at right: Australian crocodile hides have found their way into the luxury handbag industry, but this is a farmed product that makes little impact on the wild population.
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Background information
Crocodile culling in AustraliaThe Oxford Dictionary defines wildlife culling as 'a reduction of a wild animal population by selective slaughter'.
The Northern Territory and Queensland each has a Crocodile Management Program, both recently revised, which, while not referring to culling, do sanction the killing of crocodiles.
The Queensland government removes around 40 to 50 crocodiles each year that are considered a threat to people.
Some of these animals are killed; however, the crocodiles are assessed to determine their most appropriate treatment. Removal practices in Queensland prioritise live capture, transport, and relocation though they acknowledge that this is not always possible. Immediate public safety rather than the reduction of crocodile numbers appears the main objective in Queensland, and this remains the case under the new program. Under the Northern Territory's new Crocodile Management Program adopted in February 2024
, 1,200 crocodiles will be trapped and destroyed annually. This is an increase of 900 crocodiles a year from the previous average figure. Under the new scheme, one of the objectives appears to be containing population growth. They are also considering commercial use of the 'harvested' crocodiles. This corresponds more closely to the Oxford Dictionary's definition of a 'cull'. The Northern Territory Management Program is to operate for the next ten years and includes the possibility of increasing the number of crocodiles culled.As explained above, crocodile culling already occurs in Australia, though it is not officially referred to as such. However, some critics argue that larger numbers of crocodiles should be killed with the direct aim of reducing crocodile numbers.
Australian saltwater crocodiles
The saltwater crocodile is the largest species of crocodile and the largest living reptile in the world. The species is sexually dimorphic (sexes are physically different); adult males are on average 5 metres long and weigh more than 450kg, whereas females are much smaller, generally around 3 metres long and up to 150kg. There are uncommon records of male salt-water crocodiles reaching more than 7 metres in length and 1000kg in weight. The upper body is grey, brown, or almost black above, with irregular darker mottling; they are generally whitish on the underside. The snout of an adult is broad and granular; the distance from the tip to the centre of the eyes is less than twice the width of the head at eye level. The tail is highly muscular and is the main propulsion mechanism used in the water. Juveniles are generally pale tan in colour, with black stripes and spots on the body and tail. An adult salt-water crocodile generally has 65-67 teeth and is believed to have the greatest bite pressure of any living animal.
Australian distribution
The saltwater crocodile is found in Australian coastal waters, estuaries, lakes, inland swamps, and marshes. Despite the species' common name, the salt-water crocodile can persist in freshwater bodies. The species' distribution ranges from Rockhampton in Queensland throughout coastal Northern Territory to King Sound (near Broome) in Western Australia.
Conservation status
The species is considered of minimal concern for extinction but is protected from the effects of international trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
In Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea wild populations are classified under Appendix II. This means the animal and its by-products can be commercially traded with export permit. The same provisions apply for all worldwide populations bred in captivity for commercial purposes.
History of commercial use and current regulatory protections
The saltwater crocodile was often hunted for its meat and eggs, and its skin is the most commercially valuable of any crocodilian. Unregulated hunting during the 20th century caused a dramatic decline in the species throughout its range, with the population in northern Australia reduced by 98 percent by 1971.
The years from 1940 to 1970 were the peak of unregulated hunting and may have regionally caused irreparable damage to saltwater crocodile populations. Illegal hunting persists in some areas, with protection in some countries being grossly ineffective, and trade is often difficult to monitor and control over such a vast range. Many areas have not recovered; some population surveys have shown that although young crocodiles are present, fewer than 10 percent of specimens spotted are in adult size range and do not include any particularly large males. Habitat loss continues to be a major problem for the species. In northern Australia, much of the nesting habitat of the saltwater crocodile is susceptible to trampling by feral water buffalo, although buffalo eradication programs have now reduced this problem considerably.
The species currently has full legal protection in all Australian states and territories where it is found - Western Australia (since 1970), Northern Territory (since 1971) and Queensland (since 1974). This means the species cannot be hunted and animals can only be killed or relocated by authorised wildlife officers. All Australian states and territories with wild crocodile populations have management programs with include removal of crocodiles from inhabited areas.
Commercial crocodile harvesting is comprised of both wild take and captive breeding and raising activities on farms. Crocodile harvesting and farming currently occur in the Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia. Crocodile products (e.g., skins, manufactured leather products, teeth, flesh, taxidermy specimens) are traded domestically and internationally. The commercial export of products derived from native species is required to be approved under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).