Calls for action are getting louder as unsupervised visitors continue to get dangerously close to crocodiles in a major Northern Territory natural reserve.

Video emerged last week showing crowds of people, including young children, standing on the water’s edge at Kakadu National Park’s infamous Cahills Crossing – with several crocodiles visible just a few metres away in the water.

Northern Territory has one of the world’s largest wild crocodile populations in the world, with about 10,000 in Kakadu alone.

Crocodiles have been known to attack around Cahills Crossing, with the most recent fatality being the 2017 death of a 47-year-old man who was killed while trying to cross the river on foot.

“[The footage] is absolutely alarming. It’s basically a tragedy that’s ready to unfold,” Kakadu crocodile management supervisor Gary Lindner told ABC Radio Darwin this week.

‘Unacceptable’ antics

To reduce the risk of people getting too close to crocodiles, a $3 million viewing platform was installed overlooking Cahills Crossing in 2022, and safety signs are littered throughout the reserve.

But Greig Taylor, owner and operator of Charter North 4WD Safaris, told The New Daily the presence of the deadly predators was not deterring “unacceptable” antics from visitors to the reserve.

“I’ve seen people in some areas camping too close to the water’s edge – crocodile habitat,” he said.

“Cahills Crossing … it’s been popularised through digital media, and as a result, you’ve got fairly intense copycat behaviour.

“I know for a fact that Kakadu National Park has been very, very concerned about that behaviour at Cahills Crossing for a very long time.”

Safety guidelines

Parks Australia, the federal body that manages Kakadu, said it took the issue of crocodile safety seriously in a statement to the ABC.

“The vast majority of visitors adhere to the safety guidelines and signage provided, however the actions of a small minority raise concerns,” the statement said.

“To address this, we continue to implement a range of safety measures including face-to-face safety briefings, educational talks and safety advice through visitor brochures and social media.”

Lindner told ABC park rangers can evict and fine visitors who ignore risks around crocodiles, and a current review of environmental regulations could bring heftier penalties.

Who’s most at risk?

Although tourists might seem to be the obvious problem, experts point to locals as the biggest risk-takers.

Charles Darwin University post-doctoral research fellow in ecology Cameron Baker told The New Daily locals made up 90 per cent of crocodile attack victims in the NT.

He said many had become too comfortable after living around crocodile habitats for a long time.

“[Locals] should already know the crocodile stuff, but they often get complacent about it and don’t see the risks,” Baker said.

“More broader education is necessary in the community to keep that message alive – you need to be croc-wise in these areas to avoid any potential incidents happening.

“Crocodiles are actually one of the easiest predators for us to avoid running into. If you stay away from … that water’s edge, you’re going to be fine … It’s not like hiking in North America, where you could just randomly run into a bear or a mountain lion.”

What is safe behaviour?

Billy Collett, park manager at Victoria’s Australian Reptile Park, said people should always stay at least five metres from the water’s edge when visiting crocodile-heavy waterways, and at least 50 metres away if camping nearby overnight.

If travelling by boat, he said to avoid hanging out over the edge of the vessel, and if travelling by car, avoid driving through crocodile-infested waters in case the vehicle gets stuck and you need to swim out.

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“[Crocodiles] don’t care whether it’s a wallaby, a pig, a dingo, a person, a goose – they see an opportunity and they take it, because they’re an opportunistic predator,” Collett said.

“If a fatality happens, then the ranger will be forced to go out by authorities and target that crocodile, and sometimes multiple crocodiles are shot and killed before they find human remains.

“These are animals that fight insane odds to make it to maturity, and they just lose their life because someone is being careless and complacent.”

What needs to be done?

Collett said culling is not the answer, given there is a good natural carrying capacity of crocodiles in the NT.

But more education and awareness is needed, along with heavier fines to deter risky behaviour, as enacted this week in Queensland.

Baker said there should be increased monitoring for rule breakers, which may be an issue due to lack of funding.

“It would be a potentially really good position for a lot of Indigenous rangers … having that presence there, because it’s not policed a massive amount, that area,” he said.

“Tourists might see a local go down the water and they think it’s safe, so then they go close to the edge.

“But if you had someone there educating people about the dangers and policing people walking to that water’s edge, you would help to reduce that potential risk quite substantially.”