ONLY the second saltwater crocodile of the current management season has been recorded in the Katherine River after rangers removed a 3.22-metre male from a Taylors Park trap on November 23.
The first “saltie” – a 3.5m male – was trapped in the river at Novus Quarry on April 22 and Parks and Wildlife Commission NT senior ranger John Burke said the low capture numbers could be attributed to the combination of a disappointing wet season and an effective management program.
“We’ve had quite a concerted effort downstream in the past few years,” he explained to the Katherine Times.
“Probably, a low wet season [earlier in the year] hasn’t helped.”
As rangers across the Top End begin removing some traps from waterways in the lead-up to this year’s wet season, Mr Burke said it was important to remember the Be Crocwise message.
“We haven’t had any reports from the public about sightings, so it’s just ongoing monitoring,” he said.
