Media releases
Too many crocs? Mirarr call for review
Publish Date: 27th January 2014
Mirarr Traditional Aboriginal Owners and staff of the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation express our deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of the boy taken by a crocodile at Madjinbardi Billabong yesterday afternoon. The Corporation, which represents the Mirarr Traditional Owners of the area, is working with other organisations to provide support to affected families and to help coordinate the community response to the tragedy.
Mirarr have praised the rapid response of local police and Parks authorities and have renewed their call for the State and Federal Governments to review the management of crocodiles in Kakadu National Park.
GAC Chief Executive Officer Justin O’Brien said, “People have been swimming in these waterways for tens of thousands of years. Adults in the community have memories of swimming happily in these waterways. For the past 30 years many Traditional Owners have been saying there are too many crocs and that the numbers need to be managed.
“Kakadu has been managed by the Federal Government for 30 years, whereas Mirarr and other Traditional Owners have managed this land for tens of thousands of years. Their knowledge and experience must be heeded. Mirarr are calling for a review of the management of crocodiles around their communities in response to their increasing numbers and safety concerns,” Justin O’Brien concluded.