birding-aus

crocodile attack at Adelaide River

To: Denise Goodfellow <>
Subject: crocodile attack at Adelaide River
From: Allan Richardson <>
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 08:32:16 +1000
Yes certainly agree - the crocodile guy in the video forged a bond with a 
crocodile through an extraordinary experience, which is miraculous evidence 
that crocodiles are capable of breaking the "everything they can overpower is 
food" role; but we need only look at how they treat their hatchlings for that.

I don't in any way believe that feeding crocodiles is likely to make them kind 
toward humans (come on - the statement was pure tongue in cheek wishful 
thinking) - yet it'd still be a better world if they didn't bite the hand that 
feeds them - wouldn't it.

I've looked at the footage over the years of crocodiles easily emerging from 
the water to great heights for food and cringed, and I just don't understand 
how so many folk are so flippant with the north-end's waterways.

As Denise has outlined below, and most of us on this forum know already, we 
have to be very careful about what we feed and how much - managing for better 
habitat is a far better way to give wildlife a leg up, especially in our own 
backyards.

It is just such a terrible shame 3 people have paid with their lives this year, 
for not taking the crocodile threat seriously - feel so sorry for their 
families.

The difference in shooting crocodiles (read hostile behaviour toward them - I'm 
not advocating that here, although it may sometimes be part of necessary 
management straties), as in previous years, and feeding/making them a tourist 
commodity appears to have made them less fearful of people.

With such a powerful, yet still wild!!, animal that can't be a good thing.

Regards,

Allan
   
On 20/08/2014, at 4:20 AM, Denise Goodfellow wrote:

>  I shouldn’t think it makes them less likely to attack humans, whatever the 
> tour operator thinks.  Some of the birds on our property were fed for 25 
> years before we arrived and they certainly associate people with food.   
> Several years ago my daughter and I were attacked by large Antilopine 
> Wallaroos at a wildlife park while we were feeding ducks.  One snatched the 
> bag of bread from Amber’s hand.  We only escaped unharmed because  I punched 
> the kangaroo in the nose as it went to bring its hind legs up.
> 
> The feeding of kites and goannas is discouraged in Top End parks because of 
> injuries caused to visitors.  Clients and I were bailed up by two Mertens 
> Water Monitors at a Top End waterhole once - they were fed regularly, or fed 
> on food scraps left behind by tourists. 
> 
> And if I remember correctly the suspect dingo in the Chamberlain case had 
> been fed by tourists (and I think, rangers) for some years.  Similarly with 
> the dingoes on Fraser Island - remember they killed a child some years ago.
>  
> Denise Lawungkurr  Goodfellow
> PO Box 71
> Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
> 
> PhD candidate 
> 
> 
> Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
> Founding Member: Australian Federation of Graduate Women Northern Territory
> 043 8650 835
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 20 Aug 2014, at 2:35 am, Peter Shute <> wrote:
> 
>> Does feeding them make them less likely to attack humans? I would have 
>> thought it would tech them to associate them with food.
>> 
>> Peter Shute
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
>>> On 19 Aug 2014, at 11:19 pm, "Allan Richardson via Birding-Aus" 
>>> <> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Shame the years of feeding haven't changed the way of the crocodiles like 
>>> the one in the video below.
>>> 
>>> The news said the crocodile that took the man had been fed for many years.
>>> 
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlz6iNw0Qes
>>> 
>>> Allan
>>> 
>>>> On 19/08/2014, at 6:42 PM, Denise Goodfellow via Birding-Aus wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I often saw fishermen and their spouses sitting on the bank where this man 
>>>> was taken.  They usually identified themselves as Vietnamese.  Although I 
>>>> always warned them about crocodiles I never saw them change their 
>>>> behaviour.  
>>>> 
>>>> Denise
>>>> Denise Lawungkurr  Goodfellow
>>>> PO Box 71
>>>> Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
>>>> 
>>>> PhD candidate 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
>>>> Founding Member: Australian Federation of Graduate Women Northern Territory
>>>> 043 8650 835
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On 19 Aug 2014, at 5:03 pm, martin cachard <> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I must say I've spent many mornings sitting very watchfully & cautiously 
>>>>> under the mangroves (on the north side of the bridge over the Adelaide 
>>>>> River on the hwy on the eastern bank a few metres back from the water).  
>>>>> I was always amazed at the size of some of the crocs floating along the 
>>>>> river, especially heading upstream under the bridge with what I believe 
>>>>> must have been the in-coming tide - some were huge!! in one hour one 
>>>>> morning I counted 25 crocs sailing past all heading up-river & most were 
>>>>> 15 ft long minimum!!!
>>>>> certainly a great spot for Mangrove Golden Whistlers & Arafura Fantails, 
>>>>> but I have to concur with Denise, please be very careful if u ever go 
>>>>> there!!
>>>>> 
>>>>> even more astonishing for me was the size & abundance of the crocs at 
>>>>> Shady Camp on the lower Mary River - what a spot!! there were at least 5 
>>>>> or 6 big monster crocs hanging there that must have been 20ft or longer - 
>>>>> one individual was the biggest male I've ever seen, & I've seen a LOT of 
>>>>> crocs!! this guy was a minimum 25ft, no kidding!!
>>>>> what was most alarming about this spot was the teenage boys & their 
>>>>> fathers actually fishing from the banks at dusk standing within ONE metre 
>>>>> of the shoreline right where the crocs were - i'm not kidding, it was 
>>>>> gob-smackingly dumb!! I told them about the crocs I had seen there that 
>>>>> day, & they just dismissed it with a chorus of "yeah mate, she'll be 
>>>>> right mate, thanx!!" then all had a swig...
>>>>> honestly, some people....!!
>>>>> 
>>>>> cheers,
>>>>> martin cachard,
>>>>> cairns
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>> Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 14:39:43 +0930
>>>>>> To: 
>>>>>> CC: 
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] crocodile attack at Adelaide River
>>>>>> From: 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Yes he did wade into the river, I believe. In another recent attack a 
>>>>>> bloke was apparently dragged out of his dinghy. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I’ve heard several reports of people who live in the area, including 
>>>>>> children, being lunged at by crocodiles as they fished or stood on the 
>>>>>> landings or the banks. In the past a few residents have told me they’ve 
>>>>>> complained about the cruises for this reason. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Denise
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
>>>>>> PO Box 71
>>>>>> Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> PhD candidate 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
>>>>>> Founding Member: Australian Federation of Graduate Women Northern 
>>>>>> Territory
>>>>>> 043 8650 835
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On 19 Aug 2014, at 2:09 pm, Jeremy O'Wheel <> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> ABC news are reporting that there's never been a person attacked in a 
>>>>>>> boat at Adelaide River, and that the fisherman in the last attack had 
>>>>>>> waded into the river to un-snag his fishing line. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Jeremy
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On 19 August 2014 14:04, Charles Hunter via Birding-Aus 
>>>>>>> <> wrote:
>>>>>>> Hi Denise,
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> When I was in the Top End last year I visited the Adelaide River and 
>>>>>>> did the croc cruises.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> I was amazed (like most people on the boat) at how high the 4 metre 
>>>>>>> plus crocodiles could jump to get the chickens attached to the rope.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> After seeing crocodiles behave in this manner, I personally would never 
>>>>>>> fish (or bird watch) in a tinny in any parts of northern Australia.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> After the croc cruise we stopped at other parts of the Adelaide River 
>>>>>>> and saw many crocodiles.....
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Two weeks ago Dad and I saw a 4m plus croc in one of the permanent 
>>>>>>> water holes in Lakefield N.P. (Queensland).
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> At Iron Range N.P. a couple of days later the Ranger told us to be very 
>>>>>>> careful bird watching close to the deep pools in the rivers and streams 
>>>>>>> due to crocs (even in the dry season).
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>> Charles
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Tuesday, 19 August 2014 1:39 PM, Denise Goodfellow via Birding-Aus 
>>>>>>> <> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Since the early 1980s I’ve been taking birders to this area of the 
>>>>>>> Adelaide River, mainly looking for Mangrove Golden Whistler.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Having more experience with crocodiles than most, I’m very careful with 
>>>>>>> clients. Firstly I scout the area to ensure no crocs are lying under 
>>>>>>> the trees, and then I keep clients keep several metres away from banks. 
>>>>>>> Occasionally twitchers behave stupidly, one of the reasons why I’m not 
>>>>>>> very keen on taking some of them. Jim Zimmer of San Diego made me tell 
>>>>>>> his birding club what I say to such people! 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> My Aboriginal son, Reverend P. Nganjmirra, a traditional Kunwinjku man, 
>>>>>>> said there were more big crocodiles around now that in his 
>>>>>>> grandfather's time, probably because of the introduction of stock. 
>>>>>>> Whether there is now a reduction of cattle, buffalo and horses I don’t 
>>>>>>> know. But from the attack on the South Alligator River recently, where 
>>>>>>> a man was dragged out of his dinghy it seems that some crocodiles may 
>>>>>>> be targeting the next biggest item in the food chain.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Anyway, I suggest that birders be very careful when around Top End 
>>>>>>> waterways. Avoid hiring small dinghies for a start, and no matter what 
>>>>>>> the twitch don’t go near the water!
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Denise Lawungkurr Goodfellow
>>>>>>> PO Box 71
>>>>>>> Darwin River, NT, Australia 0841
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> PhD candidate
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Founding Member: Ecotourism Australia
>>>>>>> Founding Member: Australian Federation of Graduate Women Northern 
>>>>>>> Territory
>>>>>>> 043 8650 835
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
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