After the death of a twelve-year-old girl Northern Australia wants to limit crocodile population
The death of a twelve-year-old girl by a crocodile has shocked Australia. Now the Northern Territory wants to take action against the crocodile population.
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- A crocodile is said to have killed a twelve-year-old girl in Australia.
- The number of crocodiles in the area rose from 3,000 to around 100,000 after a hunting ban was imposed in the 1970s.
- The regional authorities have now announced that they will intervene.
Following the death of a twelve-year-old girl by a crocodile in northern Australia, the regional authorities have announced that they will intervene. The crocodile population must not be allowed to become too large, said the head of the Northern Territory government, Eva Lawler, adding: "We cannot allow the number of crocodiles in the Northern Territory to outnumber the number of people."
The girl disappeared this week while swimming south of the regional capital Darwin. After an intensive search, her remains were discovered. The injuries indicate a crocodile attack.
The number of crocodiles in the area rose from 3,000 to around 100,000 after a hunting ban was imposed in the 1970s. The reptiles can be up to 70 years old and seven meters long. A good 250,000 people live in the Northern Territory. Between 2015 and 2018, 17 people were killed by crocodiles.
A few weeks ago, the authorities approved the targeted killing of crocodiles near bathing areas. However, mass killings remain prohibited. The reptiles are considered a danger, but are also an economic factor for tourism, among other things.
Lawler said that the Northern Territory would spend 500,000 Australian dollars (a good 302,000 Swiss francs) on controlling the crocodile population in the coming year. Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro called for more money. The region does not need any more bad headlines, she said.
dpa