The Crocodile Hunter: The Incredible Life and Adventures of Steve and Terri Irwin (22 page)

Figure 1

The traps were anchored to large trees with a half-inch rope and baited with a ninety-pound portion of fresh meat, which was secured by a short quarter-inch rope with a spliced loop over the trigger mechanism. Any jerking or pulling of the bait would release the trigger mechanism, causing the weight bags to fall and pulling the mouth of the trap closed in a drawstring effect.

Logs, branches, and foliage were erected as barricades around the trap to eliminate the possibility of a crocodile approaching the bait from the sides. Hence, the only access to the bait is via the trap entrance, and the crocodile has to enter the trap to reach the bait. Lastly, lead-in baits were attached by a three-millimeter rope directly in front of the trap, dangling over the water. This represented a token feed of pork to initiate a feeding response at the trap entrance, where the bait inside the trap was visible to the crocodile.

The whole time we were setting up the traps, Old Faithful and at least one of his girls were watching us from about 160 feet away. They were obviously very bold, inquisitive, and quite possibly hungry.

"Old Faithful," the best looking crocodile I’d ever seen.

The first night after the traps were set I couldn’t sleep, for I could feel the uncanny sensation of knowing a croc had already gone into trap one. We arrived at the trap site at six o’clock the next morning to find my instincts verified—caught in the trap was a stocky 8.5 foot female. She had entered the trap at around nine the night before. She was
gorgeous
! And very grumpy. So I quickly opened up the trap entrance and let her out. She was free and back in her billabong in a couple of minutes. Although she hissed and bared her teeth in retaliation, she was quite calm and ladylike. Not once did she try to kill me, which is rare for a trapped croc—normally they go ballistic, biting everything and anything.

The next night was the same again, I couldn’t sleep. I could virtually feel the big old male croc staring into the trap from the safety of his billabong, the tantalizing odor of pork luring him closer and closer. At 11:55
P.M
. the rush of plummeting weight bags and the trap being triggered pierced the stillness of the night. All night I could hear the commotion of a crocodile in the trap, although we never heard any loud head thrashing, which suggested that the trapped crocodile wasn’t fighting for his life, but rather that he was confused and endeavoring to push his way free. I know to never approach a trapped crocodile until daylight. The danger and stress of approaching him at night would have deadly repercussions.

At first light I revealed that our target crocodile had been trapped. A strapping big bloke! By 6
A.M
. I had two jaw ropes in place and the exhausted crocodile was secured.

Interestingly, the mouth of the trap had drawn closed around the base of his tail and cloaca, a common occurrence in previous captures of crocodiles over twelve feet. To ensure no cloacal damage, Old Faithful was easily persuaded all the way into the trap. Once he was restrained inside the trap with the two top-jaw ropes, a canvas shelter was erected and he was kept damp and monitored closely. His head was almost two feet long and his total length was fourteen feet. He had no signs of nose rub or abrasions and was considered to be in prime condition, with substantial fat deposits around the neck and the base of the tail. His teeth were massive and in good condition. He possessed no obvious scar tissue from territorial disputes with other males. He was a “steamer,” the best looking crocodile I’d ever seen. An absolutely huge, muscular, powerful crocodile for his size. He exploded with the fury of being trapped—hissing and gnashing his massive pearly teeth. Despite his numerous bursts of aggression and struggle, while I tried to secure top-jaw ropes, Old Faithful never made any attempts to bite me, even when I was working close to his head. I am amazed and in awe of this pristine modern day dinosaur’s reluctance to kill me. I still can’t believe that not once did he strike directly at me. Never had a killer streak in his entire body. We love you, Old Faithful, you’re a big beautiful bloke.

Now comes the most intricate and important process of all. Every instinct with crocs I’ve gained had to be harnessed to educate this magnificent fourteen-foot apex predator, king of the billabong. It’s now that I have to teach him, for the safety of his entire family and home. My educational process was based on achieving three main objectives: instilling “people shyness” (stopping the crocodile from approaching people, and ensuring the crocodile cannot be approached close enough to be shot); maintaining the crocodile’s social structure and ecosystem; and reopening the waterhole to visitors.

Wes and me struggling with an adult saltwater crocodile.

During the afternoon of the day he was captured, Terri and I circled the water immediately in front of the crocodile in two different sized dinghies, demonstrating to the crocodile the noise and nature of the vessels and the people driving them. He responded by becoming agitated when an outboard motor was started. He became even more agitated when he heard an approaching or starting 4WD vehicle. His obvious aggravation was considered a positive sign that he was learning to fear boats and vehicles. Our campsite was in his full view, and in addition to this Terri and I camped with Old Faithful, allowing him to see, hear, smell, and sense the vibration of people in close proximity. He acknowledged our presence by watching us closely and tensing his body when we approached him.

During the night I further harassed Old Faithful in a dinghy with spotlights. Mimicking an illegal crocodile shooter, I stalked as close to him as an illegal hunter would shoot, then fired several .444 rounds into the water and the mud bank within two feet of him. It breaks my heart to subject the king of this territory to such extremes, but if he doesn’t learn he will most certainly be killed. If I can’t teach him to stop approaching park visitors, Old Faithful, his family, and the entire ecosystem will be destroyed. I have no qualms putting my life on the line to protect crocodiles. I will die defending them. It causes me great pain and anxiety to inflict fear on this poor old croc, but without me, he and his wilderness would suffer. At six o’clock the next morning he was calm and motionless. However, when the first outboard was started he reacted by becoming distressed and fighting to break free. A similar desperate attempt to escape occurred when a vehicle approached the camp. These were considered positive signs of stress activated by human activity. My education process was obviously working extremely well.

Old Faithful’s final lesson was “the power of people.” At six-thirty, eight people straddled and restrained the big crocodile for fifteen minutes, while the trap and top-jaw ropes were removed. Under the weight and power of the people, he hardly attempted to fight; this was considered the perfect response to a feeling of being overpowered.

On the count of three, everybody jumped off the crocodile and he was free. Without hesitation he slowly walked into the shallow water and swam to the middle of the billabong with his head above water; then he headed straight toward the deepest section. Later that day from a totally camouflaged position, I watched him swimming and basking in the deep, shady section of his billabong.

People power holding down "Old Faithful" prior to his release.

He appeared to be alert, behaving normally and reunited with his mates. One of his gorgeous girls was right alongside him, obviously happy to be with him. Overall, I was satisfied Old Faithful had responded well to our entire trapping/educational procedure and felt confident that he would remain the dominant male crocodile within his territory, thus ensuring the continuation of their pristine ecosystem. Mission accomplished.

In February, after the wet season, Old Faithful Waterhole was reopened to the general public. The three campsites were occupied by campers, who reported no nuisance crocodile behavior to the rangers.

Then in July we surveyed the waterhole to determine the extent of the crocodiles’ “people shyness.” During this period Old Faithful was not observed day or night, despite our finding his fresh tracks, slides, claw marks, and basking areas. On several occasions a crocodile with a total length less than ten feet, as well as two juvenile salties (Old Faithful’s children) and approximately twenty freshies of various sizes, were observed.

During this survey we discussed crocodile activity with fishermen camped on the waterhole. We were told how three fishermen in their late forties saw the “fifteen-foot Big Old Crocodile” waiting for them at the boat ramp. We examined the bank where they moored their dinghy, finding a slide matching a crocodile less than ten feet, which had been feeding on offal, backbones, and carcasses left on the bank by the fishermen.

Misinterpretation of crocodile behavior and exaggeration of total and head lengths are common traits for park visitors and tourists. These practices, combined with careless activities around waterholes and providing unnatural food sources for crocodiles, make it difficult for park rangers to determine bona fide nuisance behavior and an appropriate management strategy.

Again in October we surveyed Old Faithful Waterhole. Upon arrival, we observed Old Faithful and a female (approximately 8.5 feet in length) sunning on the opposite bank. The animals appeared to sense the approach of our vehicle and quickly slid into the water and submerged. Old Faithful was then observed swimming upstream toward the deep hole. This activity was considered to show intimidation by the presence of people. During this survey period, we very briefly observed Old Faithful surfacing to breathe, look around, then submerge (usually under the camouflage of overhanging vegetation).

Our sightings were brief, lasting less than forty-five seconds if he could not observe us, and less than ten seconds if he could observe us. All sightings were in the vicinity of his deep hole, which indicated that this was his refuge. We also observed that he had three females, which we estimated to be between eight and ten feet, beautiful looking sheilas. I’ll bet he’s a great lover and proud father.

The congregation of his happy family in this deep hole prompted us to measure the depth of the entire Old Faithful Waterhole. Excluding the shallows—those areas with less than forty-inch depths—the average depth was thirteen to fifteen feet. Only one small hole, at twenty-seven feet deep but less than thirty-three feet wide, was measured. This one small, deep hole was their only refuge and was also favored by large barramundi. Because this hole was being utilized for refuge by the crocodile family during people visitation, and was a preferred fishing spot, sightings of large crocodiles by park visitors were inevitable.