Crocodile populations in Queensland are growing after the reptiles were almost hunted to extinction before being protected in the 1970s, a new state government survey shows.
Department of Environment and Science Wildlife program coordinator Dr Matt Brien, who led a three-year Queensland monitoring program, said results showed the current estuarine crocodile population was estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 non-hatchling animals.
"The population recovery has been relatively slow and highly variable across the ranges of species since the unregulated hunting of estuarine crocodiles for their skins was banned," Dr Brien said.
"The average rate of population growth for the species across its range is 2.2 per cent per year and only 20 per cent of its population is found south of Cooktown.
"The survey showed the spatial distribution of crocodiles in Queensland has not changed, and there is no evidence of any southward expansion of its range.
"Due to the limited amount of suitable nesting habitat, the Queensland crocodile population is not expected to reach the size or density of the Northern Territory crocodile population."
Dr Brien said although crocodile numbers had increased along Queensland's east coast, the survey showed the average size of the animals had decreased.
"This is a likely consequence of the Queensland Government's crocodile management program, where crocodiles assessed as posing a threat to public safety are removed from the wild - with more than 450 crocodiles having been removed from 2004 to 2019."
For Lindsay Titmarsh of 4450-hectare grazing property Tandora near the mouth of the Mary River on the Fraser Coast, crocodiles were a normal if infrequent part of the landscape growing up.
Mr Titmarsh said while he hadn't spotted one in a couple of years, it didn't take long for populations to grow.
"I saw one had been scraping along in the mud checking the overflowing dam out near our house," he said.
"That was a couple of years ago, so the kids are banned from swimming in the dam because you don't know what's in there.
"They're more protected than people. Anything that's protected ends up getting out of control if you're not careful, like the dingoes on Fraser Island. Look at them - that's not nature."
Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said as part of its budget, the government would invest an initial $12 million over the next four years for the ongoing management of crocodile populations and make its CrocWise program permanent.
"With croc populations slowly increasing, it's important that we continue our CrocWise program and make sure human safety remains the number one priority," Ms Scanlon said.
Ms Scanlon said the team surveyed rivers in Cape York and the Gulf and as far south as Maryborough on the east coast and detected no crocodiles south of the Fitzroy River, Rockhampton.
She said the rebounding numbers was good news from a conservationist perspective, but it showed there had never been a more important time for people to exercise vigilance in croc country and to make the CrocWise program permanent.
"While crocodile populations aren't like that in the NT, we have wildlife officers on the ground who remove problem crocodiles - and this survey will allow rangers to now look at how they can build on that expertise.
"But it remains crucial for people to continue to be vigilant when in croc country, whether that's following the signage, reporting crocodiles, staying away from croc traps and fishing safely."
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Brandon Long
Brandon Long is a Queensland Country Life journalist based in Toowoomba.
Brandon Long is a Queensland Country Life journalist based in Toowoomba.
