It's been decades since hunting the crocodile-infested waters of northern Australia was a rite of passage for locals and an adventure holiday for rich tourists.
Now protected, they have an air of arrogance towards their former enemies.
Along the banks of northern Australia's South Alligator River, scores of crocodiles reaching lengths of up to 4.6m stretch their jaws or swim in the river's cloudy-brown waters, sensing little to fear from the occasional passing motorboat.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"They are proud devils," said Garry Lindner, who tracks crocodiles inside Kakadu National Park for Environment Australia, a government agency.
As Lindner steers a small aluminum speed boat around the peering eyes of partly submerged crocodiles along the 95km long river, a 22-caliber rifle close at hand, he speaks of the need for humans to keep their distance.
Attacks on humans are rare thanks to warning signs inside the park exhorting tourists to stay away from river edges and waterholes, known as billabongs.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Crocodiles are territorial and capable of leaping nearly their full length out of the water to attack prey. They have been known to capsize boats and canoes, says Lindner.
Lindner mostly relocates crocodiles to the dense mangrove swamps in the park's interior that are out of bounds to all but the most intrepid tourists, but he is sometimes forced to kill the animals, usually with a single shot, if they pose an immediate danger.
"If we've got to kill one, we will give the croc to the traditional land owners [Aborigines] who regard the meat, especially the tail, as a delicacy, though some people find it a bit fatty," said Lindner at his base in Jabiru, 3,200km northwest of Sydney.
Meat is murder
Word of a Lindner kill spreads quickly among the Aborigines, who are quick to stake their claim for the meat. However, the massive carcass of a crocodile that killed and nearly devoured a German tourist last year before being shot by Lindner sits untouched in a refrigerator near Lindner's office, where crocodile skulls rest on visitors chairs and are stacked atop files.
"No one wants it," he says.
Glenn Bernard Robless, a tour guide, pleaded guilty in March to making a dangerous omission that caused the death of 23-year-old Isabel von Jordan. He received a three-year suspended sentence. Von Jordan was taken by the 4.6m crocodile during a moonlight swim in a billabong.
The freshwater and saltwater crocodiles -- wrongly named since both species are at home in any type water -- have been protected from human predators since the 1960s, allowing their numbers to swell in the park.
Long gone are the likes of European royalty and car loads of young men from the area who killed thousands of crocodiles each year, sometimes chasing them across wetlands guns blazing, often with the blessing of cattle farmers who saw the reptiles as vermin.
But as the crocodile population inside the park recovers to more than 6,000 after decades of protection, fears of attacks on visitors are mounting.
Officials of Kakadu, a 20,700km2 reserve, have been forced to declare some of the most popular drawcards no-go zones after crocodiles were sighted on the prowl.
"Everyone wants to see a croc, but not up too close," says Tony Heenan, who runs daily treks through Kakadu's riverways and gorges.
Making a splash
Lindner said five large crocodiles were sighted in popular tourist swimming holes this year. Two were known to venture away from the area and one was removed, leaving two unaccounted for, he said.
"We know they are out there, we're just not sure where," Lindner said.
One of the most popular attractions, Twin Falls has been closed since the annual Big Wet ended in May due to crocodile sightings. June typically marks the start to the winter vacation season. Another popular spot, Jim Jim Falls, only opened in mid-June.
But even there, one of the first things day-trekkers encounter is a steel-mesh alligator trap, baited with chicken or pig parts, in hopes of snaring any unwanted reptiles before they reach the pitch-black waters of the popular plunge pool, eerily absent of all but a few daring bathers.
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
RSS