Crocs everywhere

It's a hot, sunny day in Darwin in Australia's Top End – perfect for a cruise down the river aboard the Adelaide River Queen, a river cruise ship for tourists.

They have come to see what's lurking below the water's surface and they aren't disappointed: The River Queen has barely left the jetty when saltwater crocodiles start appearing around the boat.

The Adelaide River, about 60 kilometers out of Darwin, in Australia's Northern Territory, attracts thousands of tourists every year. Most of them want to go on so-called jumping croc tours - boat trips down the river that lure in crocodiles with slabs of meat.

To say the river is croc-infested would be an understatement. It’s a virtual crocodile stampede. Every 100 meters, a reptile rears its scaly head and according to the tour guide, there are 5 to 10 you can't see for every one you can.

Danger in the water

Recently, the Adelaide River has been attracting attention for all the wrong reasons: In August, a fisherman was killed by a crocodile on the river after he waded into the water to retrieve a fish hook.

It's the third fatal attack in the Northern Territory this year, which is highly unusual. Statistically, there's a fatality once every two years. But every croc attack in the Territory causes a round of soul-searching among locals. And, this most recent attack has upset people even more than usual.

The crocodile responsible was well known. A rare genetic mutation meant he had a white head and a black body, earning him the nickname Michael Jackson. As with all crocodiles responsible for fatal attacks, he was killed.

"When there's a fatality, it's a police operation. We're directed to go out and manage that situation," Parks and Wildlife spokesman Michael Barritt explains. "Retrieving the remains is a high priority and that usually includes having to kill the crocodile. This way we make sure the body is returned for a funeral and for a coronial inquest. We don't just go out hunting all the crocodiles in that area as a sort of revenge."

Once almost hunted to extinction, the crocodiles were placed under protection in the early 1970s. Their population now numbers around 100,000. The Northern Territory Government has promised to look into whether a widespread croc cull would help reduce the risk of attacks.

Capture instead of killing?

Some locals are beginning to question this approach, though. One woman, who only wants to be known by her nickname Broady has launched a new group called the Northern Territory Crocodile Conservation and Protection Society.

Broady wants authorities to look into capturing crocs after attacks rather than killing them.

"The thing with Michael was that he was so genetically rare that he stood out," the activist says. "I had a woman in America who was prepared to pay for this crocodile and try and import him overseas because he was so genetically rare. Those funds could have gone a long way with Parks and Wildlife."

Broady’s stance against croc killing is so controversial that she's received several death threats. But, she has her supporters too: the Facebook page had 500 people sign up within 24 hours - no small feat in a small city like Darwin.

Researcher Adam Britton rejects the capture idea. He has studied crocodiles in the Top End for two decades and says capturing a specific crocodile is extremely difficult. Plus, if rangers miss the first time, that animal may be spooked and difficult to find again.

"If a croc finds a spot where it can catch some prey, it'll come back to that spot again," Britton says. "The chances of it attacking again are much higher and there is a potential for him turning into a man-eater."

Smarter than you think

Adam Britton says the only way attacks can be reduced is by education and changing people's behavior in and around the water.

"Even if you tried to wipe every croc out, I don't think you'd succeed," Britton says. "So unless you do that, there is still going to be a risk of someone getting attacked by a crocodile. If there are 5,000 crocodiles in the Adelaide River, it's not safe if you remove 4,000 of those crocodiles."

The croc-seeing tours are sometimes accused of conditioning crocodiles to link humans with food. But, tour operator Tony Blums rejects the allegation.

"The truth is that the areas we work in are the safest areas for fishermen - just don't go in the water," Blums says. "We are probably the best education program that you can have for crocodiles in the wild in the Northern Territory."

Britton says the animals know the jumping croc boats and won't approach other boats in the same way. He claims the crocodiles recognize the tour boats and even remember the timing the tours go out: "Crocodiles are smart. They learn patterns and routines."

So, whether it's one crocodile or 100,000, the local advice is to stay out of the rivers and go swimming in a swimming pool.