The Australian City of Darwin Has a Population of 250,000, Including 100,000 Wild Crocodiles

Australia is a special place. The country has a unique culture: a blend of indigenous and Western traditions. Additionally, it has a fascinatingly diverse fauna, with insects often being large enough to pose a danger. Among the notable wildlife are crocodiles, which, while not particularly exotic, have taken over a whole town.

Darwin in Northern Australia is surrounded by around 100,000 crocodiles. Worryingly, they belong to a rather aggressive species.

Ironic. Darwin is named after English naturalist Charles Darwin. Established in 1869, the town has a brief but eventful history. It’s been rebuilt twice: once after Japanese bombings during World War II and again due to a cyclone in 1974. With a population of around 150,000, it’s the most populous capital of Australia’s Northern Territory. Notably, much of its population isn’t human.

Larrakia. Darwin is located in a prime area for outdoor activities, especially water sports. However, this proximity to the sea and one of the few rivers in the country comes with its downsides. There’s an overwhelming population of crocodiles. While it’s currently estimated that more than 100,000 crocodiles inhabit the area around the town, the situation was quite different until recently.

The Larrakia people, the indigenous inhabitants of the region, coexisted with crocodiles for 65,000 years. Their relationship with the crocodiles was both spiritual and practical. The animals were reverenced and valued for their meat and eggs. The crocodiles in Darwin belong to a particularly aggressive species known as the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus).

Challenging. After World War II, the Larrakia people played a limited role in an increasingly westernized territory. Meanwhile, people began hunting crocodiles for their skin rather than their meat. The mid-century fashion trends disregarded the ecological impact, leading to the near extinction of these animals. By the 1960s, the crocodile population had dwindled to around 3,000 individuals.

This hunting activity was viewed as a form of economic development due to the profitability of the fashion industry. However, something changed in the 1970s.

New policies. In 1971, Australian authorities implemented conservation policies that prohibited crocodile hunting, allowing the population to rebound dramatically. From a low of 3,000, the crocodile population grew to about 100,000 specimens over 50 years. The Northern Territory, with its extensive coastline and warm temperatures, provides an ideal habitat for these crocodiles. Despite their aggressive nature, there have been fewer fatal encounters in recent years than one might expect.

The area is also popular for fishing and swimming, as well as other outdoor activities. As a result, Darwin has established a system of traps and rangers to keep the crocodiles at a safe distance, particularly during the rutting season.

A protective barrier. Ranger Kelly Ewin is part of the team responsible for trapping and removing crocodiles from areas close to populated regions. He told the BBC that there’s a network of 24 traps surrounding the city. They’re designed to capture crocodiles that venture too close, especially in the harbor area. “Obviously, we’re not going to capture every crocodile, but the more we take out of the harbor, the less risk there’s going to be an encounter with crocodiles and people,” he points out.

Additionally, public education plays a crucial role. The Northern Territory government launched the “Be Crocwise” program to inform residents about how to behave responsibly in crocodile habitats. Ranger Natasha Hoffman, who runs the program, emphasizes the importance of knowing how to act if you encounter a crocodile.

“If you’re on the boats when you’re fishing, you need to be aware that they’re there. They’re ambush hunters, they sit, watch and wait. If the opportunity is there for them to grab some food, that’s what they’re going to do,” she told the outlet.

Beyond crocodiles, these creatures have a bad reputation due to Jurassic Park.

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License to kill. In the Northern Territory, mass killing of crocodiles is prohibited due to their protected status. However, authorities have approved an increase in the annual quota of crocodiles that can be killed from 300 to 1,200 to manage the population. Additionally, park rangers are permitted to kill crocodiles if a potentially dangerous encounter with a human occurs.

The issue is that there are simply too many crocodiles. They can become aggressive if a human gets too close. According to the BBC, each time there’s a crocodile-related death, the debate surrounding population control reignites, and calls for mass culling resurface. Some politicians seize the opportunity to argue that the population is out of control, although not everybody shares this view.

A business. Not only do locals face the danger. Tourists also get killed. According to the BBC, Alex Williams, the captain of a cruise ship specializing in crocodile viewing, has noted a significant increase in tourism over the past decade. However, there are dangerous rivers to consider. “If you go [swimming in] the Adelaide river next to Darwin, there’s a 100% chance you’ll be killed. The only question is whether it’s going to take five minutes or 10 minutes. I don’t think you’ll ever get to 15–you’ll be torn apart,” crocodile expert Grahame Webb explains.

However, attractions like the Cage of Death allow visitors to swim with giant crocodiles.

At the same time, there’s intensive crocodile farming. These farms keep crocodiles in individual cages from birth before killing them and selling their skins to luxury brands. This industry is extremely lucrative, with Australia accounting for 60% of the global trade in crocodile skins. Notably, the Northern Territory produces two-thirds of that output. These farms supply skins to high-end brands such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton.

Ethics. In addition to the 100,000 wild crocodiles around Darwin, there are also tens of thousands bred in captivity. Environmental organizations claim that these farms overcrowd young crocodiles in group pools. This causes stress and increases the likelihood of diseases, such as salmonella and other bacterial infections. These diseases can affect not only reptiles but also workers and the surrounding habitat.

“We’ve done what very few people can do, which is take a very serious predator… and then manage them in such a way that the public is prepared to [tolerate] them,” Webb adds. The truth is that managing crocodile populations is challenging, and there seems to be no perfect solution.

Conflict persists among ecologists and intensive breeders who ignore ethical considerations. There are also tensions between politicians and descendants of the Aboriginal population. Despite all this, history shows that 60 years ago, humans nearly eradicated these magnificent reptiles. However, they’re now thriving again in the lands that they once called home.

Image | David Clode | Achim Raschka/Wikimedia Commons | Bidgee/Wikimedia Commons

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