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Wednesday, July 26, 2017
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Local man given the right to catch wild crocs By Rebecca Wallis
A local crocodile farmer has offered to become a licensed ‘croc catcher’ for the Tablelands in light of a recent spate of salt water crocodile sightings. Juergen Arnold will not get paid for the work but says that he is happy to help as he knows that many locals blame the croc farm for the
rise in crocodiles in the region. Currently it is illegal for anyone to touch a crocodile in the wild and in doing so they risk a hefty fine. But at a meeting in Mareeba last week, officers from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection announced that Mr Arnold would be given training and a license to allow him to capture wild crocodiles in the area. The issue is a contentious one
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after local cane farm worker Daryl Bell had his hand bitten by a salt water crocodile in Mareeba on Saturday, July 15 (see The Express July 19 edition). The news that there will now be someone locally who can come to the aid of others in a similar situation to avoid being attacked, was welcomed. But Mr Arnold said he thinks there is some “hysteria” surround-
ing the subject and that he doesn’t believe there is more than “a handful” of crocodiles to be caught. “The size of these crocodiles, they won’t kill anyone,” he said. “There are no big crocs around.” Mr Arnold purchased the crocodile farm just outside of Mareeba two and half years ago. H Continued P3
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