Australia Muses on Saltwater Crocodile Safari Hunts
SYDNEY: Australia has been thinking over a plan to permit the hunting of saltwater crocodiles as the officials told newspersons on Thursday.
The Australian government had not agreed to the idea 7 years ago but now revisited the plan to allow its hunting due to the reason that the number of crocodiles is increasing and the average number of people killed per year by them is 2.
Tony Burke, he Environment Minister, said: “There are different views among different traditional (Aboriginal land) owners on this and I really want to make sure I get the opportunity to hear those different views.”
And if the plan is approved, the hunters will be allowed to pay in order to kill crocodiles; it means more jobs for the Aborigines and more tourism.
“We have been pushing the government to consider safari hunting for some time as a way to generate indigenous employment and I’m very pleased to see steps taken in this direction,” said Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson.
Initially, 50 saltwater crocodiles are to be allowed for safari hunting for a two-year trial period.
But the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) expresses its concerns over the humane killing of the crocs. “There is no possible conservation benefit to be derived from the killing of crocodiles for trophies, nor does it provide a means of controlling problem crocodiles,” said RSPCA Australia chief scientist Bidda Jones.
“This is nothing more than killing animals for entertainment and there is no justification for that.”
Saltwater Crocodiles have been being protected by the government agencies since the 1970s and the recent figures show that their number has reached above 150,000.
