Poll: Northern Territory Croc Attacks

[Yamiki]

This may apply more to Australians than most other countries, but what does everybody think about the NT croc attacks and furthermore the push to increase crocodile culling (see http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/19/2520509.htm ). and also http://www.abc.net.au/news/tag/crocodile-attacks/ .

I believe that it is a tragedy that people are being taken by crocs, but I do wish to put forward this view, why are they swimming in or being around place where crocodiles are known to live? We know crocs are dangerous, we know that they can take a human down and yet people still believe they are entitled to swim in the water in which these canivorous hunters live.

Being a former member of both QLD and NT, I believe that people need to know their boundaries. Swimming in a river that is known to be home to saltwater crocodiles which can grow in excess of 4 metres in length is stupid to say the least, but to then come out and say crocodiles should be culled because someone was taken by a croc in that same river , just makes me wonder if we as a species will ever be used to living just off the top of the food chain. Our real concern should be educating the masses so they stay away from the rivers in the first place, preventing the loss of human life and protecting one of the oldest species still living in Australia.

What does everyone think?
Sorry if I got a little heated, I just dislike the amount of stupidity that has been thrown around in this argument.

 

[ohellynot]

Of course they shouldn't be culled its a horrible idea. Mabye they should be culled if, I don't know, 30 or so ride into town on horse back and proceed to eat everyone under the age of 20 then it could be considered acceptable. But the havent
If people go swimming in corc rivers then they shouldn't be suprosed if they get eaten and others shouldn't over react.
I did see in the news that aa croc had eaten a five yaer old child rather recently, and the parents of the child asked for the animal to not be killed. Personally I was surprised by this but it isn't unreasonable, the croc did what was natural to it.Don't get the wrong idea about me, but crocs are animal desingned to kill, if one comes near you then run lie fuck. The child was five and possibly hadn't been told this and didn't know any better.
Bottom line is its people who need to be aware, more considerate and stay out of natures way. Not the other way around

 

[fletch_talon]

This just in, all cars in major cities are to be destroyed because of the number of people who walk into the middle of heavy traffic.

Its almost as stupid as all the idiots that wanted to hunt down stingrays because one killed Steve Irwin. Its times like these he'd have to be ashamed to be Australian.

 

[PurpleRain]

No! People are just stupid. I believe in Darwins law, so if you're dumb enough to swim in a murky swamp, with a big ol' Danger: Crocodiles sign posted right beside, then you have no right to complain. It's their home, we're their food.

Humans are just too gung-ho for revenge.

 

[traceur_]

absolutely not, if anything the stupid humans who hang around those areas should be culled, it's the croc's territory, not ours, the croc is protecting it's territory from a perceived threat, blaming the crocs is the same as charging someone with murder for killing a burglar. If the humans are dumb enough to be there then they deserve to die, let natural selection do it's fucking job.

 

[orifice]

No, they should just put up some "do not feed the crocodiles" signs!

 

[Booze Zombie]

Look, put up a load of "danger, FUCKING CROCS" signs, with a picture of a croc on the sign and an exclamation mark.

The only possible excuses you have for being attack by a croc then is: Unlucky, the sign was not immediately viewable from where you entered the water or dumbness.

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

Swim with the crocs, get your ass eaten by the crocs.

They shouldn't be killed when something entered their[/n] territory, made lots of noise, and generally drew as much attention as possible. It was bound to happen, you can't go swimming in uncleared lakes and expect nothing to go wrong, it's a tragedy each time but people took the chance, and they got eaten.

 

[Motti]

Because they shouldn't be in the water! Doesn't matter if that's their territory, they shouldn't be around when we're in the water! I think being at the top of the food chain hasn't exactly done wonders for our humility, and our intelligence. We need a predator.

 

[Vrex360]

That's utter bullshit. If you don't want to get eaten by crocodiles don't swim in their water. There problem solved.
You know call the crocodile a monster if you want, but at least he doesn't barge into your suburban home then act all surprised when you try to push him out.
I'm not going to condemn a crocodile for doing what crocodiles do. Where is the logic in butchering entire families of crocodiles and wiping them out just because ONE crocodile killed ONE person?
I'm sorry for your loss family and friends of the victim but you CAN NOT justify revenge on an ANIMAL. So what all these animals have to die just because you all 'had to go swimming in that one particular pool of water'? You couldn't just find a safer place to swim? No it HAD to be right there where crocodiles are known to live?
BULLSHIT. No actually
CROCSHIT.

You know what's sad, one a long time ago there was a wildlife reserve called the Daintree river that was full of happy crocodiles. People were tol not to go swimming there but some halfwit does it anyway, piss drunk as expected. He gets eaten by a crocodile who was defending his territory and you know how people respond?
They go out and start killing every crocodile they see looking for the one who did it and call it JUSTICE. This is a nature reserve and they were genociding them!! Soon people started hunting for fun to the point where there were even tours based around the culling of crocodiles. People shouting:
"Fuck them, let's kill them all."
What happened to the crocodile popultion in that river?
The same thing that happens to every animal that's being pursued relentlessly by something it can't defend itself from. They all died, down to the last hatchling.
Twenty years later the population finally returned to normal.

How can this be justified? The warnings were THERE. The crocodiles lived THERE. The man was told not to go swimming THERE.
Humans like that need to be culled. There is NO justification for killing animals that do what they must to survive, it's not like the crocodile planned ANYTHING, he couldn't DECIDE to kill people. He's driven by instinct dammit.

Humans like that, who think that all these crocodiles have to die just because they simply
'must have my precious little swim resort in this particular river'
they are the scum. Crocodiles aren't the problem, people are.

Sorry if I got too passionate but let me tell you, that's EXACTLY how I feel on this issue.

In response to the article presented, has anyone ever considered the idea that maybe the people settling in the crocodiles hom and invading their territory is the real problem? Because if you go there and start a mass culling then YOU are the guilty ones because as established the crocodiles kill based on INSTINCT, not by choice.

I especially liked how the article basically said:
"Crocodiles need to die for us, because the water has now become a very big part of our lives.''
Funny that, I always thought that on the scale of things the water is a little more important to the crocodiles seeing as how THEY LIVE THERE.

 

[cuddly_tomato]

Erm... no. Crocs have as much right to that area as humans I am afraid. If people want to feed themselves to the crocodiles that's their problem. Maybe it's time humans stopped fucking up the natural world whenever it becomes inconvenient, and instead try to live in a more harmonious fashion with the world around them.

That's utter bullshit. If you don't want to get eaten by crocodiles don't swim in their water. There problem solved.

Agreed.

 

[Flour]

The crocodiles have done nothing wrong.

I vote to place a few of these signs:

Modified to indicate that there are crocodiles in the area.

 

[Vrex360]

The crocodiles have done nothing wrong.

I vote to place a few of these signs:

Modified to indicate that there are crocodiles in the area.

GENIUS!!

 

[Yamiki]

The crocodiles have done nothing wrong.

I vote to place a few of these signs:

Modified to indicate that there are crocodiles in the area.

I like it a lot...

 

[Inverse Skies]

Tourists are stupid and locals are overconfident. If it were me I would be NOWHERE NEAR any water in which salt water crocs might be lurking... that just seems dumb to me. Then again I haven't been to NT for ages so I should be right.

 

[Vrex360]

To make a very late afterthought, I think that it's very unfair to go hunting for crocodiles who are defending their rightful territory that we are imposing on. It's not like the croc leaves the water and marches into your suburban home.

EDIT: actually a better point, people pointed out that forty years after they were declared an endangered species (species endangered by mass hunting by humans) their numbers have sky rocketed and that's a problem. No it isn't genius because the reason we conserve species is so that their numbers improve, that's what happened. The idea of culling the poor creatures now strikes me as simply repeating the same problems of the past. For god's sake, it's their water just leave it alone and there will be no more issues.