Crocodile pet owners have snapped back over a ban stopping anyone else in an Australian territory from keeping the reptiles.
The move has sparked fear of a widespread cull of creatures that would previously have been given new homes in the Northern Territory (NT).
Under its new crocodile management plan, the NT’s Labor government has blocked the granting of new permits for anyone who wants to own one as a pet.
“Let’s remember they are an apex predator and probably not one that’s best kept for captivity,” said Kate Worden, the NT’s environment minister, who insisted the permit ban resulted from a broad consultation with experts.
But crocodile pet owners are so angry with the decision that it has become an election issue before Saturday’s regional vote in the NT.
If the opposition Country Liberal Party wins, it may review and overturn Labor’s permit policy.
Tom Hayes, a crocodile owner who lives an hour south of Darwin, said that he has been left “devastated” by the decision.
“Owning a croc is something I thought I would be able to do being here and having the appropriate pens and permits,” he told Australia’s ABC News. “Now I can’t save a crocodile.”
Mr Hayes said that he had recently hoped to rehome a crocodile from Queensland, but after he was denied a permit in the NT, he now fears the animal will be killed.
“We’re not quite sure what’s going to happen,” Mr Hayes said. “I can’t help this big old beautiful animal and that breaks my heart a little bit.”
Roger Matthews, a crocodile expert who catches and removes problem predators in the NT, disputed the benefits of the permit ban.
He told ABC News that some crocodiles that would have previously been rehomed safely according to stringent rules would instead be culled.
Mr Matthews said: “There’s half a dozen people that I’ve had to knock back from having a pet crocodile.”
Jo Langham, another NT resident, described her and her husband’s pet crocodile, Horry, as the easiest animal they have ever looked after.
“No pet sitters, no walking, no coochie-cooing required,” she told ABC.
Ms Langham advised that a prerequisite for anyone owning a crocodile is a large, secure pen.
“It’s not really something to be entered into lightly, you’re still playing with a wild creature and you need to know what to expect,” she added.
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