Conservation queen, Dr Terri Irwin AM, has started an online petition to stop the harvesting of crocodile eggs in Queensland.
Saltwater crocs are, like koalas, listed as “vulnerable” under Nature Conservation laws. But the State Government recently legalised the harvesting of their eggs anyway. What for, you ask? Well, I guess the short answer is, money. So crocodile hunters can apply for a licence to harvest eggs from wild nests and sell them to private farms (think croc leather, shoes, bags, meat).
But according to Terri (and a number of environmentalists), the effects of this practice are going to be dangerous for crocodiles and the ecosystem. She wants to see more research done first. Australia Zoo has already provided the government with reports on the negatives – things like, the reduction of crocodile populations, the impact on fish and crabs in the ecosystem, the responsibility of scientific monitoring going from researchers to crocodile farmers themselves and enabling the illegal trade of crocodile eggs.
“The Queensland State Government is destroying the future generations of an apex predator by allowing the removal of eggs from nests in our most pristine, wild environments,” Terri explains in her online petition. “The science has been ignored.”
Like his mum, Robert Irwin is hoping to see the decision reversed too. He describes the new laws as “devastating news for crocodile conservation in Queensland.”
If you’d like to see the Queensland Government reverse their decision on egg harvesting, or for more info, check out the PETITION HERE.
And if you’d like to learn more about Terri, her late husband Steve Irwin and their conservation efforts, this is a GREAT read:
