Snap decisions: Territorians bite back as pet croc crackdown eased
As one Australian state moves to ban pet crocodiles, another part of the nation is making it easier than ever to keep one of these apex predator in a suburban backyard – can you guess where?
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An unusual pet named Louis Vuitton* certainly knows how to test the waters, according to his brave owner Andrew Fahey.
“He’s pinged me a few times – and if he bites me again he’s (going to) end up a handbag,”
joked Mr Fahey, a former NSW resident who headed to the Northern Territory for “the lifestyle”.
Indeed, being able to keep a pet crocodile was a major drawcard* for him.
While the Victorian Government has moved to ban pet crocs, the NT Government is working to make keeping a crocodile in your backyard simpler and safer than ever.
So what’s the attraction?
“We’ve had cats before, snakes … but if I have a pet croc, I don’t have to go down to the river and wait to spot one in the wild,” Mr Fahey, a Palmerston local, told news.com.au.
“I’ve got one in the backyard, so I can sit there in the arvo and … watch him do his thing.”
“With the fish tank set up, you can see how he sits underwater. It’s different to watching them out in the wild, you get to see them submerged. What they do underwater, it’s really cool.”
Louis is currently a manageable 40cm long.
Once he grows another 20cm, he will have to be “moved along” to someone with a permit on a rural property.
Mr Fahey was instrumental* in overturning the previous government’s “blanket ban imposed without consulting anyone”.
“I rallied the new government and said how stupid the policy was and they agreed to overturn it,” he said.
Mr Fahey said appreciating crocs was important to Territorians.
“Only rarely do I get him out of the tank to handle him. I would rather watch him do his thing. They are incredible animals,” he said.
“He gets aggressive at feeding time. I had two in the tank but they’d strike when you came near them, so now I have one.
“When we are cooking a chicken or a meat dish, we get the cut offs and cut them into cubes, sprinkle them with vitamin powder ad calcium powder and usually feed them with tongs and they go straight for it,” Mr Fahey said.
“The good thing is when you go away on holiday, dogs and cats rely on someone to feed them but these guys, if you give them a good feed they’ll be right for a week or two on their own.”
Mr Fahey is one of 63 Territorians currently licenced to keep a total of 123 crocs.
Now, the NT Government has invited residents to have their say on new safety and welfare*
guidelines.
Minister for Parks and Wildlife Marie-Clare Boothby said the proposed regulations in the
Dangerous Animal Guideline: Crocodiles as Petsfocused on animal welfare, biosecurity* and public safety, to ensure this important part of the Territory’s unique lifestyle continued to thrive.
“If you’ve ever wanted to own a pet saltwater or freshwater crocodile, there’s only one place to do it – right here in the Northern Territory,” said Ms Boothby.
“We promised Territorians a say on pet crocs, and that’s exactly what we’re delivering.
“We’re backing responsible pet ownership by cutting red tape* and making it easier than ever for Territorians to safely keep a pet croc.”
Ms Boothby said the Territory’s crocodile culture was unmatched anywhere in the world – a
tourism drawcard, an economic driver and a proud symbol of Territory identity and spirit.
“Crocodiles are the ultimate Territory icons,” she said. “People travel from across Australia and the world to see them, whether it’s on a jumping croc cruise, swimming in the ‘Cage of Death’ or Crocodylus Park,” she said.
“After Labor scrapped pet crocodile permits in 2024, our Government made a commitment to restore that right – that’s why one of the first things I did as Minister for Parks and Wildlife was to bring back the right to own a crocodile, because we said we’d restore our unique Territory lifestyle.”
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GLOSSARY
- Louis Vuitton: French luxury fashion house that makes expensive bags, cases, purses using various leathers and exotic animal skins including crocodile
- drawcard: something or someone that draws people to a place, event or product
- instrumental: played an important role in making something happen
- welfare: here it refers to health, safety and wellbeing
- biosecurity: methods that are used to stop a disease or infection from spreading
- red tape: official rules and processes that seem unnecessary and delay action
EXTRA READING
Crocodile safety as teen survives
Crocs in swimming pool surprise
Airport crocs for game travellers
QUICK QUIZ
- How long is Louis Vuitton?
- What will happen to him once he grows in length another 20cm?
- Why did Mr Fahey drop down to keeping a single crocodile after previously having two?
- How many Territorians are currently licenced to keep pet crocodiles?
- How many crocodiles in total are currently licenced as pets?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Owning a pet croc
While the Northern Territory government wants people to retain the right to own a pet crocodile, Victoria is moving to ban it.
Proposed regulations regarding crocodiles as pets focuses on animal welfare, biosecurity and public safety.
Under these three categories, do you think people should be able to keep crocodiles as pets anywhere in Australia? List your reasons below.
Animal welfare:
Pros
Cons
Biosecurity:
Pros
Cons
Public safety:
Pros
Cons
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
What other “lifestyle” measures does living in Northern Territory entail that attracts people to move there?
How might life in Darwin differ to that in other major cities such as Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne?
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.